DIPLOMATIC 


OEWIH&SNELUN6 
BOOKSELLERS 


A   DIPLOMATIC 
ADVENTURE 


"She  was  in  an  agony  of  alarm. 


A    DIPLOMATIC 
ADVENTURE 


PS 


D5 


A  DIPLOMATIC 
ADVENTURE 


NO  man  has  ever  been  able  to  write  the  his 
tory  of  the  greater  years  of  a  nation  so 
as  to  include  the  minor  incidents  of  interest. 
They  pass  unnoted,  although  in  some  cases 
they  may  have  had  values  influential  in  deter 
mining  the  course  of  events.  It  chanced  that 
I  myself  was  an  actor  in  one  of  these  lesser  in 
cidents,  when  second  secretary  to  our  legation 
in  France,  during  the  summer  of  1862.  I  may 
possibly  overestimate  the  ultimate  importance 
of  my  adventure,  for  Mr.  Adams,  our  minister 
at  the  court  of  St.  James,  seems  to  have  failed 
[3] 


340465 


:Diylanta  tic  A  dventure 


to  record  it,  or,  at  least,  there  is  no  allusion  to 
it  in  his  biography.  In  the  perplexing  tangle 
of  the  diplomacy  of  the  darker  days  of  our 
civil  war,  many  strange  stories  must  have 
passed  unrecorded,  but  surely  none  of  those 
remembered  and  written  were  more  singular 
than  the  occurrences  which  disturbed  the  quiet 
of  my  uneventful  official  life  in  the  autumn  of 
1862. 

At  this  time  I  had  been  in  the  legation  two 
years,  and  wac  comfortably  lodged  in  pleasant 
apartments  in  the  Rue  Rivoli. 

Somewhere  about  the  beginning  of  July  I 
had  occasion  to  engage  a  new  servant,  and  of 
this  it  becomes  needful  to  speak  because  the 
man  I  took  chanced  to  play  a  part  in  the  little 
drama  which  at  last  involved  many  more  im 
portant  people. 

I  had  dismissed  a  stout  Alsatian  because  of 

my  certainty  that,  like  his  predecessor,  he  was 

a  spy  in  the  employ  of  the  imperial  police. 

There  was  little  for  him  to  learn;  but  to  feel 

[4] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

that  I  was  watched,  and,  once,  that  my  desk 
had  been  searched,  was  disagreeable.  This 
time  I  meant  to  be  on  safer  ground,  and  was 
inquiring  for  a  suitable  servant  when  a  lean, 
alert  little  man  presented  himself  with  a  good 
record  as  a  valet  in  England  and  France.  He 
was  very  neat  and  had  a  humorous  look  which 
caught  my  fancy.  His  name  was  Alphonse 
Duret.  We  agreed  easily  as  to  wages  and 
that  he  was  to  act  as  valet,  take  care  of  my 
salon,  and  serve  as  footman  at  need.  Yes,  he 
could  come  at  once.  Upon  this  I  said : 

"A  word  more  and  I  engage  you."  And 
then,  sure  that  his  reply  would  be  a  confident 
negative,  "Are  you  not  a  spy  in  the  service  of 
the  police?"  To  my  amused  surprise  he  said: 

"Yes,  but  will  monsieur  permit  me  to  ex 
plain?" 

"Certainly." 

"I  was  intended  by  my  family  to  be  a  priest, 
but    circumstances    caused    me    to    make    a 
change.    It  was  not  gay." 
[5] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Well,  hardly." 

"I  was  for  a  time  a  valet,  but  circumstances 
occurred — monsieur  may  observe  that  I  am 
frank.  Later  I  was  on  the  police  force,  but 
after  two  years  I  fell  ill  and  lost  my  place. 
When  I  was  well  again,  I  was  taken  on  as  an 
observer.  Monsieur  permits  me  to  describe  it 
as  an  observer?" 

"A  spy?"  I  said. 

"I  cannot  contradict  monsieur.  I  speak 
English — I  learned  it  when  I  was  valet  for 
Mr.  Parker  in  London.  That  is  why  I  am 
sent  here.  The  pay  is  of  a  minuteness.  Cir 
cumstances  make  some  addition  desirable." 

I  perceived  that  circumstances  appeared  to 
play  a  large  part  in  this  queer  autobiography, 
and  saved  the  necessity  of  undesirable  full 
ness  of  statement. 

I  said:  "You  appear  to  be  frank,  but  are 
you  to  belong  to  me  or  to  the  police  ?  In  your 
studies  for  the  priesthood  you  may  have  heard 
that  a  man  cannot  serve  two  masters." 

His  face  became  of  a  sudden  what  I  ven- 
[6] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

ture  to  call  luminous  with  the  pleasure  an  in 
telligent  man  has  in  finding  an  answer  to  a 
difficult  question. 

He  replied  modestly:  "A  man  has  many 
masters.  One  of  mine  has  used  me  badly.  I 
became  ill  from  exposure  in  the  service,  but 
they  refused  to  take  me  back.  If  monsieur 
will  trust  me,  there  shall  be  but  one  real  mas 
ter." 

The  man  interested  me.  I  said:  "If  I  en 
gage  you,  you  will,  I  suppose,  desire  to  re 
main  what  you  call  an  observer." 

"Yes.  Monsieur  may  be  sure  that  either 
I  or  another  will  observe.  Since  the  unfortu 
nate  war  in  America,  monsieur  and  all  others 
of  his  legation  are  watched." 

"And  generally  every  one  else,"  I  said. 
"Perhaps  you,  too,  are  observed." 

"Possibly.  Monsieur  may  perceive  that 
it  is  better  I  continue  in  the  pay  of  the  po 
lice.  It  is  hardly  more  than  a  pourboire,  but 
it  is  desirable.  I  have  an  old  mother  at  Neu- 
illy." 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

I  had  my  doubts  in  regard  to  the  existence 
of  the  mother — but  it  was  true,  as  I  learned 
later. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  I  said,  "that  you  will 
have  to  report  your  observations." 

"Yes ;  I  cannot  avoid  that.  Monsieur  may 
feel  assured  that  I  shall  communicate  very  im 
portant  information  to  my  lesser  master," — 
he  grinned, — "in  fact,  whatever  monsieur 
pleases.  If  I  follow  and  report  at  times  to 
the  police  where  monsieur  visits,  I  may  be 
trusted  to  be  at  need  entirely  untrustworthy 
and  prudent.  I  do  not  smoke.  Monsieur's 
cigars  are  safe.  If  monsieur  has  absinthe 
about,  I  might — monsieur  permits  me  to  be 
suggestive." 

The  man's  gaiety,  his  intelligence,  and  his 
audacious  frankness  took  my  fancy.  I  said: 
"There  is  nothing  in  my  life,  my  man,  which 
is  not  free  for  all  to  know.  I  shall  soon  learn 
whether  or  not  I  may  trust  you.  If  you  are 
faithful  you  shall  be  rewarded.  That  is  all." 
As  I  spoke  his  pleasant  face  became  grave. 
[8] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Monsieur  shall  not  be  disappointed."  Nor 
was  he.  Alphonse  proved  to  be  a  devoted  ser 
vant,  a  man  with  those  respectful  familiari 
ties  which  are  rare  except  in  French  and  Ital 
ian  domestics.  When  once  I  asked  him  how 
far  his  superiors  had  profited  by  his  account 
of  me,  he  put  on  a  queer,  wry  face  and  said 
circumstances  had  obliged  him  to  become  in 
ventive.  He  had  been  highly  commended.  It 
seemed  as  well  to  inquire  no  further. 


[9] 


II 

ON  the  6th  of  October  I  found  011  my 
table  a  letter  of  introduction  and  the 
card  of  Captain  Arthur  Merton,  U.S.A.  (2d 
Infantry),  12  Rue  du  Hoi  de  Rome. 

The  note  was  simple  but  positive.  My  uncle, 
Harry  Wellwood,  a  cynical,  pessimistic  old 
bachelor  and  a  rank  Copperhead,  wrote  me  to 
make  the  captain  welcome,  which  meant  much 
to  those  who  knew  my  uncle.  On  that  day  the 
evening  mail  was  large.  Alphonse  laid  the  let 
ters  on  my  table,  and  as  he  lingered  I  said, 
"Well,  what  is  it?" 

"Monsieur  may  not  observe  that  three  let 
ters  from  America  have  been  opened  in  the 
post-office." 

I  said,  "Yes."  In  fact,  it  was  common  and 
of  course  annoying.     One  of  these  letters  was 
from  my  uncle.    He  wrote : 
[10] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

I  gave  Arthur  Merton  an  open  letter  to 
you,  but  I  add  this  to  state  that  he  is  one  of 
the  few  decent  gentlemen  in  the  army  of  the 
North. 

He  inherited  his  father's  share  in  the  mine 
of  which  I  am  part  owner,  and  has  therefore 
no  need  to  serve  an  evil  cause.  He  was  born 
in  New  Orleans  of  Northern  parents,  spent 
two  years  in  the  School  of  Mines  in  Paris,  and 
until  this  wretched  war  broke  out  has  lived 
for  some  years  among  mining  camps  and  in 
the  ruffian  life  of  the  far  West.  It  is  a  fair 
chance  which  side  turns  up,  the  ways  of  the 
salon,  the  accuracy  of  the  man  of  science,  or 
the  savagery  of  the  Rockies.  You  will  like 
him. 

He  has  been  twice  wounded,  and  then  had 
the  good  sense  to  acquire  the  mild  typhoid 
fever  which  gave  him  an  excuse  to  ask  for 
leave  of  absence.  He  has  no  diplomatic  or  po 
litical  errand,  and  goes  abroad  merely  to  re 
cruit  his  health.  Things  here  are  not  yet 

[in 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

quite  as  bad  as  I  could  desire  to  see  them. 
Antietam  was  unfortunate,  but  in  the  end  the 
European  States  will  recognize  the  South  and 
end  the  war.  I  shall  then  reside  in  Richmond. 
Yours  truly, 

Harry  Wellwood. 

I  hoped  that  the  imperial  government  pro 
fited  by  my  uncle's  letter.  It  was  or  may  have 
been  of  use,  as  things  turned  out,  in  freeing 
Captain  Merton  from  police  observation, 
which  at  this  time  rarely  failed  to  keep  under 
notice  every  American. 

I  was  kept  busy  at  the  legation  two  thirds 
of  the  following  day.  At  five  I  set  out  in  a 
coupe  having  Alphonse  on  the  seat  with  the 
coachman.  He  left  cards  for  me  at  a  half- 
dozen  houses,  and  then  I  told  him  to  order  the 
driver  to  leave  me  at  Rue  du  Roi  de  Rome, 
No.  12.  —  Captain  Merton's  address. 

As  I  sat  in  the  carriage  and  looked  out 
at  the  exterior  gaiety  of  the  open-air  life  of 
[12] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

Paris,  my  mind  naturally  turned  in  contrast 
to  the  war  at  home  and  the  terrible  death  har 
vest  of  Antietam,  news  of  which  had  lately 
reached  Europe.  The  sense  of  isolation  in  a 
land  of  hostile  opinion  often  oppressed  me, 
and  rarely  was  as  despotic  as  on  this  after 
noon.  I  turned  for  relief  to  speculative 
thought  of  the  numberless  dramas  of  the  lives 
of  the  busy  multitude  among  which  I  drove. 
I  wondered  how  many  lived  simple  and  un 
eventful  days,  like  mine,  in  the  pursuit  of 
mere  official  or  domestic  duties.  Not  the  ut 
most  imaginative  ingenuity  of  the  novelist 
could  have  anticipated,  as  I  rode  along  amidst 
the  hurries  and  the  leisures  of  a  Parisian 
afternoon,  that  my  next  hour  or  two  was 
about  to  bring  into  the  monotony  of  office 
life  an  adventure  as  strange  as  any  which  I 
could  have  conceived  as  possible  for  any  hu 
man  unit  of  these  numberless  men  and  women. 
Captain  Merton  lived  so  far  away  from  the 
quarter  in  which  I  had  been  leaving  cards 
[13] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

that  it  was  close  to  dusk  when  I  got  out  of  the 
carriage  at  the  hotel  I  sought. 

I  meant  to  return  on  foot,  but  hearing 
thunder,  and  rain  beginning  to  fall  heavily, 
I  told  Alphonse  to  keep  the  carriage.  The 
captain  was  not  at  home.  I  had  taken  his 
card  from  my  pocket  to  assure  me  in  regard 
to  the  address,  and  as  I  hurried  to  reenter  my 
coupe  I  put  it  in  my  card-case  for  future 
reference. 


[14] 


Ill 

A  I  sat  down  in  the  coupe,  and  Alphonse 
was  about  to  close  the  door,  I  saw  behind 
him  a  lady  standing  in  the  heavy  downfall  of 
rain.  I  said  in  my  best  French:  "Get  in, 
madame.  I  will  get  out  and  leave  you  the  car 
riage."  For  a  moment  she  hesitated,  and  then 
got  in  and  stood  a  moment,  saying,  "Thank 
you,  but  I  insist  that  monsieur  does  not  get 
out  in  the  rain."  It  was  just  then  a  torrent. 
"Let  me  leave  monsieur  where  he  would  desire 
to  go."  I  said  I  intended  to  go  to  the  Rue  de 
la  Paix,  but  I  added,  "If  madame  has  no  ob 
jection,  may  I  not  first  drop  her  wherever  she 
wishes  to  go  ?" 

"Oh,  no,  no !    It  is  far— too  far."    She  was, 

as  it  seemed  to  me,  somewhat  agitated.     For 

a  moment  I  supposed  this  to  be  due  to  the 

annoyance  a  ride  with  a  strange  man  might 

[15] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

have  suggested  as  compromising,  or  at  least 
as  the  Parisian  regards  such  incidents.  Al- 
phonse  waited  calmly,  the  door  still  open. 

Again  I  offered  to  leave  her  the  carriage, 
and  again  she  refused.  I  said,  "Might  I 
then  ask  where  madame  desires  to  go  ?" 

She  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  asked 
irrelevantly,  "Monsieur  is  not  French?" 

"Oh,  no.    I  am  an  American." 

"And  I,  too."  She  showed  at  once  a  cer 
tain  relief,  and  I  felt  with  pleasure  that  had 
I  been  other  than  her  countryman  she  would 
not  have  trusted  me  as  she  did.  She  added: 
"On  no  account  could  I  permit  you  to  get  out 
in  this  storm.  If  I  ask  you  to  set  me  down  in 
the  Bois — I  mean,  if  not  inconvenient — 

"Of  course,"  I  replied.  "Get  up,  Al- 
phonse."  It  was,  I  thought,  a  rather  vague 
direction,  but  there  was  already  something 
odd  in  this  small  adventure.  No  doubt  she 
would  presently  be  more  specific.  "The  Bois, 
Alphonse,"  I  repeated.  A  glance  at  my 
[16] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

_— — • 

countrywoman  left  with  me  the  impression  of 
a  lady,  very  handsome,  about  twenty-five, 
and  presumably  married.  Why  she  was  so 
very  evidently  perturbed  I  could  not  see.  As 
we  drove  on  I  asked  her  for  a  more  definite 
direction.  She  hesitated  for  a  moment  and 
then  said  Avenue  du  Bois  de  Boulogne. 

"That  will  answer,"  I  returned.  "But  that 
is  only  a  road,  and  it  is  raining  hard.  You 
have  no  umbrella.  Surely  you  do  not  mean 
me  to  drop  you  on  an  open  road  in  this  storm." 
I  was  becoming  curious. 

"It  will  do— it  will  do,"  she  said. 

I  thought  it  strange,  but  I  called  out  the 
order  to  Alphonse  and  bade  him  promise  a 
good  pourboire. 

As  we  drove  away,  all  of  the  many  people 
in  the  streets  were  hurrying  to  take  refuge 
from  the  sudden  and  unexpected  downfall 
of  heavy  rain.  Women  picked  their  way  with 
the  skill  of  the  Parisienne,  men  ran  for  shelter, 
and  the  carriages  coming  in  haste  from  the 
[17] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

afternoon  drives  thronged  the  great  avenue. 
The  scene  was  not  without  amusement  for 
people  not  subject  to  its  inconvenience  and  to 
the  damage  of  gay  gowns.  I  made  some 
laughing  comment.  She  made  no  reply. 
Presently,  however,  she  took  out  her  purse 
and  said,  "Monsieur  will  at  least  permit  me 
to—" 

"Pardon  me,"  I  returned  gaily:  "I  am  just 
now  the  host,  and  as  it  may  never  again  chance 
that  I  have  the  pleasure  of  madame  for  a 
guest,  I  must  insist  on  my  privileges." 

For  the  first  time  she  laughed,  as  if  more 
at  ease,  and  said,  looking  up  from  her  purse 
and  flushing  a  little:  "Unluckily,  I  cannot 
insist,  as  I  find  that  I  am,  for  the  time,  too 
poor  to  be  proud.  I  can  only  pay  in  thanks. 
I  am  glad  it  is  a  fellow-countryman  to  whom  I 
am  indebted." 

We  seemed  to  be  getting  on  to  more  agree 
able  social  terms,  and  I  expressed  my  regret 
that  the  torrent  outside  was  beginning  to  leak 
in  at  the  window  and  through  the  top  of  the 
[18] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

carriage.  For  a  moment  she  made  no  remark, 
and  then  said  with  needless  emphasis : 

"Yes,  yes.  It  is  dreadful.  I  hope — I 
mean,  I  trust— that  it  will  never  occur  again." 

It  was  odd  and  hardly  courteous.  I  said 
only,  "Yes,  it  must  be  disagreeable." 

"Oh,  I  mean — I  can't  explain — I  mean  this 
—  special  ride,  and  I — I  am  so  wet." 

Of  course  I  accepted  this  rather  inadequate 
explanation  of  language  which  somehow  did 
not  seem  to  me  to  fit  a  woman  evidently  of  the 
best  social  class.  As  if  she  too  felt  the  need  to 
substitute  a  material  inconvenience  for  a  less 
comprehensible  and  too  abrupt  statement,  she 
added:  "I  am  really  drenched,"  and  then,  as 
though  with  a  return  of  some  more  urgent 
feeling,  "but  there  are  worse  things." 

I  said,  "That  may  very  well  be."  I  began 
to  realize  as  singular  the  whole  of  this  inter 
view — the  broken  phrased  which  I  could  not 
interpret,  the  look  of  worry,  the  embarrass 
ment  of  long  silences. 

After  a  time,  at  her  request,  we  turned  into 
[19] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

one  of  the  smaller  avenues.  Meanwhile  I 
made  brief  efforts  at  impersonal  talk — the 
rain,  the  vivid  lightning, — wondering  if  it 
were  the  latter  which  made  her  so  nervous. 
She  murmured  short  replies,  and  at  last  I  gave 
up  my  efforts  at  talk,  and  we  drove  on  in 
silence,  the  darkness  meanwhile  coming  the 
sooner  for  the  storm. 

By  and  by  she  said,  "I  owe  you  an  apology 
for  my  preoccupation.  I  am — I  have  reason 
to  be — troubled.  You  must  pardon  my  si 
lence." 

Much  surprised,  I  acquiesced  with  some 
trifling  remark,  and  we  went  on,  neither  of  us 
saying  a  word,  while  the  rain  beat  on  the  leaky 
cover  of  the  carriage,  and  now  and  then  I 
heard  a  loud  "Sacre!"  from  the  coachman  as 
the  lightning  flashed. 

It  was  now  quite  dark.  We  were  far  across 
the  Bois  and  in  a  narrow  road.  To  set  her 
more  at  ease,  I  was  about  to  tell  her  my  name 
and  official  position,  when  of  a  sudden  she 
cried : 

[20] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Oh,  monsieur,  we  are  followed !  I  am  sure 
we  are  followed.  What  shall  I  do?" 

Here  was  a  not  very  agreeable  adventure. 

I  said,  "No,  I  think  not." 

However,  I  did  hear  a  carriage  behind  us ; 
and  as  she  persisted,  I  looked  back  and  saw 
through  the  night  the  lamps  of  what  I  took  to 
be  a  cabriolet. 

As  at  times  we  moved  more  slowly,  so  it 
seemed  did  the  cabriolet ;  and  when  our  driver, 
who  had  no  lights,  saw  better  at  some  open 
place  and  went  faster,  so  did  the  vehicle  be 
hind  us.  I  felt  sure  that  she  was  right,  and  to 
reassure  her  said :  "We  have  two  horses.  He 
has  one.  We  ought  to  beat  him."  I  called  to 
Alphonse  to  tell  the  driver  to  drive  as  fast 
as  he  could  and  he  should  have  a  napoleon. 
He  no  doubt  comprehended  the  situation,  and 
began  to  lash  his  horses  furiously.  Mean 
time  the  woman  kept  ejaculating,  "Mon 
Dieu!"  and  then,  in  English,  "Oh,  I  am  so 
afraid!  What  shall  we  do?"  I  said,  "I  will 
take  care  of  you."  How,  I  did  not  know. 
[21] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

It  was  an  awkward  business — probably  a 
jealous  husband ;  but  there  was  no  time  to  ask 
for  explanations,  nor  was  I  so  inclined.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  we  were  leaving  our  pur 
suers,  when  again  I  heard  the  vehicle  behind 
us,  and,  looking  back,  saw  that  it  was  rapidly 
approaching,  and  then,  from  the  movement 
of  the  lanterns,  that  the  driver  in  trying  to 
overtake  us  must  have  lost  control  of  his  horse, 
as  the  lights  were  now  on  this  side  of  the  road, 
now  on  that.  My  driver  drew  in  to  the  left, 
close  to  the  wood,  thinking,  I  presume,  that 
they  would  pass  us. 

A  moment  later  there  was  a  crash.  One  of 
our  horses  went  down,  and  the  cabriolet — the 
lighter  vehicle — upset,  falling  over  to  the 
right.  As  we  came  to  a  standstill  I  threw  open 
the  left-hand  door  saying:  "Get  out,  madame ! 
Quick !  Into  the  wood !"  She  was  out  in  an 
instant  and,  favored  by  the  gloom,  was  at 
once  lost  to  sight  among  the  thick  shrubbery. 
I  shut  the  door  and  got  out  on  the  other  side. 
[22] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

It  was  very  dark  and  raining  hard  as  I  saw 
Alphonse  slip  away  into  the  wood  shadows. 
Next  I  made  out  the  driver  of  the  cabriolet, 
who  had  been  thrown  from  his  seat  and  was 
running  up  to  join  us. 

In  a  moment  I  saw  more  clearly.  The  two 
coachmen  were  swearing,  the  horses  down,  the 
two  vehicles,  as  it  proved  later,  not  much  in 
jured.  A  man  was  standing  on  the  farther 
side  of  the  roadway.  I  went  around  the  fallen 
cab  and  said :  "An  unlucky  accident,  monsieur. 
I  hope  you  are  not  hurt."  He  was  holding  a 
handkerchief  to  his  head. 

"No,  I  am  not  much  hurt." 

"I  am  well  pleased,"  said  I,  "that  it  is  no 
worse."  I  expected  that  the  presumably 
jealous  husband  would  at  once  make  himself 
unpleasant.  To  my  surprise,  he  stood  a  mo 
ment  without  speaking,  and,  as  I  fancied,  a 
little  dazed  by  his  fall.  Then  he  said : 

"There  is  a  woman  in  that  carriage." 

I  was  anxious  to  gain  time  for  the  fugi- 
[23] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

tive,  and  replied:  "Monsieur  must  be  under 
some  singular  misapprehension.  There  is  no 
one  in  my  carriage." 

"I  shall  see  for  myself,"  he  said  sharply. 

"By  all  means.  I  am  quite  at  a  loss  to  un 
derstand  you."  I  was  sure  that  he  would  not 
be  able  to  see  her. 

He  staggered  as  he  moved  past  me,  and  was 
evidently  more  hurt  than  he  was  willing  to  ad 
mit.  I  went  quickly  to  my  coachman,  who 
was  busy  with  a  broken  trace.  Here  was  the 
trouble — the  risk.  I  bent  over  him  and  whis 
pered,  putting  a  napoleon  in  his.  hand,  "There 
was  no  woman  in  the  carriage." 

"Two,"  said  the  rascal. 

"Well,  two  if  you  will  lie  enough." 

"Good!     This  sacre  animal!     Be  quiet!" 

I  busied  myself  helping  the  man,  and  a  mo 
ment  later  the  gentleman  went  by  me  and,  as  I 
expected,  asked  the  driver.  "There  was  a  wo 
man  in  your  carriage?" 

"No,  monsieur;  the  gentleman  was  alone, 
[24] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

and  you  have  smashed  my  carriage.     Sacre 
bleu!    Who  is  to  pay?" 

"That  is  of  no  moment.    Here  is  my  card." 

The  man  took  it,  but  said  doubtfully, 
"That  's  all  well  to-day,  but  to-morrow— 

"Stuff!  Your  carriage  is  not  damaged. 
Here,  my  man,  a  half-napoleon  will  more  than 
pay." 

The  driver,  well  pleased  with  this  accumu 
lation  of  unlooked-for  good  fortune,  expressed 
himself  contented.  The  gentleman  stood, 
mopping  the  blood  from  his  forehead,  while 
the  two  drivers  set  up  the  cabriolet  and  con 
tinued  to  repair  the  broken  harness.  Glad  of 
the  delay,  I  too,  stood  still  in  the  rain  saying 
nothing.  My  companion  of  the  hour  was  as 
silent. 

At  last  the  coachmen  declared  themselves 
ready  to  leave.  Upon  this,  the  gentleman 
said  to  me:  "You  have  denied,  monsieur,  that 
there  was  a  woman  with  you.  It  is  my  belief 
that  she  has  escaped  into  the  wood." 
[25] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"I  denied  nothing,"  said  I.  "I  invited  you 
to  look  for  yourself.  The  wood  is  equally  at 
your  disposal.  I  regret— or,  rather  I  do  not 
regret — to  be  unable  to  assist  you." 

Then,  to  my  amazement,  he  said :  "You,  too, 
are  in  this  affair,  I  presume.  You  will  find  it 
serious." 

"What  affair?  Monsieur  is  enigmatical  and 
anything  but  courteous." 

"You  are  insulting,  and  my  friends  will  ask 
you  to-morrow  to  explain  your  conduct.  I 
think  you  will  further  regret  your  connection 
with  this  matter." 

"With  what  matter?"  I  broke  in.  "This 
passes  endurance." 

"I  fancy  you  need  no  explanation.  I  pre 
sume  that  at  least  you  will  not  hesitate  to  in 
form  me  of  your  name." 

As  he  spoke  his  coachman  called  out  to  him 

to  hold  his  horse  for  a  moment,  and  before  I 

could  answer,  he  turned  aside  toward  the  man. 

I  followed  him,  took  out  my  card-case,  arid 

[26] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

said  as  I  gave  him  a  card,  "This  will  suffici 
ently  inform  you  who  and  what  I  am." 

As  I  spoke  he  in  turn  gave  me  his  card,  say 
ing  :  "I  am  the  Count  le  Moyne.  I  shall  have 
the  honor  to  ask  through  my  friends  for  an 
explanation." 

He  was  evidently  somewhat  cooler.  As  he 
spoke  I  knew  his  name  as  that  of  a  recently 
appointed  under-secretary  of  the  Foreign  Of 
fice.  I  had  never  before  seen  him.  As  we 
parted  I  said: 

"I  shall  be  at  home  from  eleven  until  noon 
to-morrow." 

We  lifted  our  hats,  and  the  two  carriages 
having  been  put  in  condition,  I  drove  away, 
with  enough  to  think  about  and  with  some 
wonder  as  to  what  had  become  of  Alphonse. 


[27] 


IV 

AFTER  a  slow  drive  with  a  lame  horse  I 
A~jL reached  my  club,  where  I  attended  to  a 
small  matter,  and  then,  as  the  rain  was  over, 
walked  to  my  rooms.  A  bath  and  a  change  of 
garments  left  me  free  to  consider  the  adven 
ture  and  its  too  probable  results.  What  was 
meant  by  the  affair?  It  was  really  a  some 
what  bewildering  business. 

I  looked  at  the  count's  card.  His  name  was, 
as  I  have  said,  somewhat  unfamiliar,  although 
it  was  part  of  duty  at  our  legation  to  learn  all 
I  could  in  the  upper  social  life  of  Paris  where, 
at  this  time,  we  had  few  friends  and  many 
foes.  If,  still  unsatisfied,  he  chose  to  look  up 
my  driver,  I  felt  that  the  man  would  readily 
tell  all  he  knew.  The  count  had  said  I  was  in 
the  affair.  A  confederate?  What  affair?  I 
[28] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

could  not— indeed,  I  did  not  mean  to— explain 
how  I  came  to  be  with  the  woman,  nor  to  ad 
mit  that  there  was  a  woman  concerned.  There 
had  been,  however,  enough  to  make  me  sure 
that  in  that  case  I  might  have  to  face  a  duel, 
and  that  the  next  day  I  should  hear  from  this 
angry  gentleman.  But  who  was  my  hand 
some  and  terrified  companion,  and  what  was 
the  affair? 

To  refuse  to  meet  him  would  be  social  ruin 
and  would  seriously  affect  my  usefulness,  as  I 
was  the  only  attache  who  spoke  French  with 
entire  ease,  and  it  was,  as  I  said,  a  part  of  my 
duty  to  learn  at  the  clubs  and  in  society  the 
trend  of  opinion  in  regard  to  the  war  with 
the  rebel  States.  I  could  do  nothing  but  wait. 
I  was  the  victim  of  circumstances  and  of  an 
embarrassing  situation  not  of  my  making,  and 
in  regard  to  which  I  could  offer  no  explana 
tion.  There  was  nothing  left  for  me  except 
to  see  what  the  morning  would  bring. 

I  dined  that  evening  with  my  chief,  but  of 
[29] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

course  said  nothing  of  my  adventure.  On  my 
return  home  I  found  Alphonse. 

"Well,"  I  said,  "what  the  deuce  became  of 
you?" 

"I  dived  into  the  edge  of  the  wood,  and 
after  hearing  what  passed  I  considered  that 
you  might  desire  to  know  who  the  lady  was." 

"Yes,  I  did-I  do." 

"I  overtook  her  very  easily,  and  as  she 
seemed  quite  lost,  I  said  I  was  your  servant. 
When  I  had  set  her  on  the  avenue  she  wanted 
to  find,  she  said  I  might  go,  and  gave  me  a 
napoleon,  and  I  was  to  thank  you." 

"Did  you  follow  her?" 

"No ;  she  seemed  to  want  to  go  on  alone.  I 
hope  monsieur  approves." 

"I  do." 

There  was  a  curious  delicacy  about  this 
which  was  explained  when  he  added:  "She 
is  quite  sure  to  let  monsieur  hear  of  her  again. 
I  ventured  to  mention  your  name." 

The  point  of  view  was  Parisian  enough,  but 
[30] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

I  contented  myself  with  a  further  word  of  sat 
isfaction,  although  I  had  my  doubts  as  to 
whether  his  theory  would  fit  the  case  of  my 
handsome  countrywoman. 

As  I  rose,  about  to  go  to  bed,  I  said  to  Al- 
phonse:  "You  will  find  in  my  card-case  the 
card  and  address  of  Captain  Merton.  I  shall 
want  you  to  take  a  note  to  him  in  the  morn- 
ing." 

He  came  back  with  the  case  in  his  hand  and 
said :  "I  saw  you  take  out  a  card,  sir,  when  we 
were  at  12  Rue  du  Roi  de  Rome.  You  looked 
at  it  and  put  it  back  in  the  case.  It  is  not 
there  now,  nor  in  any  of  your  pockets,  but  I 
remember  the  address.  Perhaps — "  and  he 
paused. 

"Perhaps  what?" 

"You  gave  the  very  angry  gentleman  a 
card." 

"Nonsense !"  I  returned.  "Look  again."  I 
could  see,  by  the  faint  smile  and  the  slight  up 
lift  of  the  brow,  that  my  valet  appreciated 

[31] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

the  situation.  He  was  gone  for  at  least  ten 
minutes.  Meanwhile  I  sat  still,  more  and  more 
sure  that  I  had  made  one  of  those  blunders 
which  might  bear  unpleasant  interpretations. 
At  length,  impatient,  I  joined  Alphonse  in 
his  search.  It  was  vain.  He  stood  at  last  fac 
ing  me  with  a  pair  of  pantaloons  on  one  arm, 
a  coat  on  the  other,  all  the  pockets  turned  in 
side  out. 

"Monsieur — circumstances — I  mean  it  is  to 
be  feared — I  have  looked  everywhere." 

"It  is  incredible,"  said  I. 

"But  the  night,  monsieur,  and  the  storm, 
and  the  count,  who  was  not  polite." 

He  was  sorry  for  me  and  perfectly  under 
stood  what  had  happened.  Yes,  undoubtedly 
I  had  given  the  count  Captain  Merton's  card. 
I  said  as  much  while  Alphonse  stood  still  with 
a  look  in  which  his  constant  sense  of  the  comic 
contended  for  expression  with  his  desire  to 
sympathize  in  what  he  was  shrewd  enough  to 
know  was,  for  me,  that  form  of  the  socially 
tragic  which  has  for  its  catastrophe  ridicule. 
[32] 


A  'Diplomatic  Adventure 

I  went  back  to  my  salon  and  sat  down  to  re 
flect  on  the  consequences  of  my  mishap.  Of 
course,  it  was  easy  to  set  the  matter  right,  but 
what  a  muddle!  I  must  make  haste  in  the 
morning  to  correct  my  blunder. 

Desirous  to  be  on  time,  about  ten  the  next 
morning  I  called  on  the  count.  He  had  gone 
out.  At  the  Foreign  Office  I  again  failed  to 
find  him.  I  was  told  that  he  had  gone  to  his 
club  for  breakfast,  but  would  be  back  very 
shortly.  I  waited  a  half-hour  and  then  tried 
the  club.  He  had  left.  Remembering  that  I 
had  said  I  should  be  at  home  from  eleven  to 
twelve,  I  looked  at  my  watch  and  saw,  to  my 
annoyance,  that  it  was  close  to  noon.  I  had 
hoped  to  anticipate  the  call  of  the  count's 
seconds  on  Merton.  I  felt  sure,  however,  that 
the  captain  would  simply  deny  any  share  in 
my  adventure,  and  that  a  word  or  a  note  from 
me  to  the  count  would  set  things  straight.  Al 
though  I  regretted  the  delay  my  vain  pursuit 
of  the  count  had  caused,  a  little  reflection  put 
me  at  ease,  and  calling  a  cab,  I  drove  to  Cap- 
[33] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 


tain  Merton's.  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  find 
him  at  home.  As  I  entered  he  threw  on  the 
table  a  number  of  letters  and  made  me  wel 
come  with  a  certain  cordiality  which  in  its 
manner  had  both  refinement  and  the  open-air 
frankness  of  a  dweller  in  camps. 

I  liked  him  from  the  first,  and  being  myself 
a  small  man,  envied  the  six  feet  one  of  wrell- 
knit  frame,  and  was  struck  with  a  way  he  had 
of  quick  backward  head  movement  when  the 
large  blue  eyes  considered  you  with  smiling 
attention.  My  first  impression  was  that  no 
thing  as  embarrassing  as  the  absurd  situation 
in  which  my  blunder  might  have  placed  him 
could  as  yet  have  fallen  upon  this  tranquil 
gentleman.  There  was  therefore  no  occasion 
for  haste. 

We  talked  pleasantly  of  home,  the  war,  my 
uncle,  and  Paris,  and  I  was  about  to  mention 
my  mistake  in  regard  to  his  card  when  he  said 
rather  abruptly : 

"I  should  like  you  to  advise  me  as  to  a 
rather  odd  affair — if  not  too  late  for  advice. 
[34] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"About  eleven  to-day,  the  Baron  la  Garde 
and  a  Colonel  St.  Pierre  called  upon  me  on  the 
part  of  a  certain  Count  le  Moyne.  The  baron 
explained  that,  as  a  lady  was  involved,  it 
would  be  better  if  it  were  supposed  that  we 
had  quarreled  at  cards.  As  you  may  imagine, 
I  rather  surprised,  and  asked  what  he  meant. 
He  replied,  and  not  very  pleasantly,  that  I 
must  know,  as  I  had  given  my  card  to  the 
count  and  said  I  should  be  at  home  from 
eleven  to  twelve.  I  said :  'Pardon  me,  gentle 
men,  but  there  is  some  mistake.  I  do  not  know 
Count  le  Moyne,  and  I  never  saw  him.  As  to 
my  card — I  have  given  no  one  my  card.'  I 
was,  of  course,  very  civil  and  quiet  in  my  de 
nial,  and  the  more  so  because  the  baron's  man 
ner  was  far  from  agreeable. 

"Then  the  baron,  to  my  amazement,  handed 
me  my  own  card,  saying,  'Do  we  understand 
you  to  say  that  last  night,  in  the  Bois  de  Boul 
ogne,  you  did  not  give  Ceunt  le  Moyne  your 
card?' 

"Now  I  am  at  times,  Mr.  Greville,  short  of 
[35] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

temper,  and  the  supply  was  giving  out.  I 
checked  myself,  however,  and  said  as  calmly  as 
possible:  'Really,  gentlemen,  this  is  a  rather 
absurd.  I  was  at  home  last  night.  I  never 
saw  or  heard  of  your  count,  and  you  will  be  so 
good  as  to  accept  for  him  my  absolute  denial.' 

"Upon  this  the  baron  said,  'It  appears  to  us 
that  you  contradict  flatly  the  statement  of  our 
principal,  a  man  of  the  highest  character,  and 
that  we  are  therefore  forced  to  suppose  that 
you  are  endeavoring  to  escape  the  consequence 
of  having  last  night  insulted  the  count.' 

"Before  I  could  reply,  the  other  man — the 
colonel — remarked  in  a  casual  way  that  there 
was  only  one  word  to  characterize  my  conduct. 
Here  I  broke  in — but,  for  a  wonder,  kept  my 
self  in  hand. 

"I  said :  'This  has  gone  far  enough.  Count 
le  Moyne  has  rather  imprudent  friends.  Some 
one  has  played  me  and  your  principal  a  trick. 
At  all  events,  I  am  not  the  man.' 

"  'Monsieur,'  said  the  colonel,  'so  you  still 
deny — ' 

[36] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"  'Wait  a  little,'  said  I.  'I  allow  no  man  to 
doubt  my  word.  But  let  us  be  clear  as  to  this. 
Am  I  to  understand  that  the  language  now 
used  to  me  represents  the  instructions  of  the 
count  ?' 

"By  George !  the  colonel  said,  'Yes.'  They 
really  believed  me  to  be  lying.  I  had  gotten 
past  any  desire  to  explain  or  contradict,  and 
so  I  replied  that  it  was  all  damn  nonsense,  but 
that  I  had  supposed  French  gentlemen  were  on 
these  occasions  courteous. 

"You  should  have  seen  the  baron.  He  is  as 
tall  as  I  am,  and  must  weigh  two  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds.  He  got  red  and  said  that  if  it 
were  not  for  his  principal's  prior  claim  on  me, 
he  should  himself  at  once  call  me  to  account. 
I  replied  sweetly  that  need  not  interfere,  for 
that,  after  I  had  killed  the  count,  I  should  be 
most  glad  to  accommodate  his  friend.  He  did 
seem  a  bit  amazed." 


[37] 


1WAS  about  to  comment  on  this  queer  story 
when  Merton  said: 

"Pardon  me,  I  must  first  tell  you  all ;  then, 
you  will  kindly  say  what  you  think  of  this 
amazing  performance. 

"The  little  colonel,  who  had  the  leanness 
and  redness  of  a  boiled  shrimp,  now  took  up  v 
the  talk,  and  this  other  idiot  said :  'My  friend 
the  baron  will,  no  doubt,  postpone  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  monsieur ;  and  now,  as  monsieur 
is  no  longer  indisposed  to  satisfy  our  princi 
pal,  and,  as  we  understand  it,  declines  to  ex 
plain  or  apologize, — in  fact,  admits,  by  his 
inclination  to  meet  our  friend,  what  he  seemed 
to  deny, — may  we  have  the  honor  to  know 
when  monsieur'  seconds  will  wait  on  us? 
Here  is  my  card.' 

"The  little  man  was  posing  beautifully.    I 
[38] 


A  ^Diplomatic  Adventure 

laid  his  card  on  the  table  and  said,  'Be  so  good, 
gentlemen,  as  to  understand  that  I  have  not 
retracted  my  statement,  but  that  if  the  count 
insists,  as  you  do,  that  I  lie, — that,  at  least,  is 
decent  cause  for  a  quarrel, — he  can  have  it.' 

"The  little  man  replied  that  the  count 
could  not  do  otherwise. 

"  'Very  good,'  said  I. — No,  don't  interrupt 
this  charming  story,  Mr.  Greville;  let  me  go 
on.  There  is  more  of  it  and  better. 

"My  colonel  then  said,  'We  shall  expect  to 
hear  from  you — and,  by  the  way,  I  under 
stand  from  monsieur's  card  that  he  is  an 
American.' 

"I  said,  'Yes ;  captain  Second  Infantry.' 

"  'Ah,  a  soldier — really !  In  the  army  of 
the  Confederation,  I  presume.  We  shall  be 
enchanted  to  meet  monsieur's  friends.' 

"  'What !'  I  said ;  'does  monsieur  the  colonel 
wish  to  insult  me  ?  I  am  of  the  North.' 

"  'A  thousand  pardons !' 

"  'No  matter.  You  will  hear  from  me 
[39] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

shortly,  or  as  soon  as  I  am  able  to  find  gentle 
men  who  will  be  my  seconds.'  This  seemed  to 
suit  them  until  I  remarked  that,  to  save  time, 
being  the  challenged  party,  I  might  as  well 
say  that  my  friends  would  insist  on  the  rifle  at 
thirty  paces. 

"  'But  monsieur,  that  is  unusual,  barbar 
ous  !'  said  the  little  man. 

"  'Indeed !'  said  I  'Then  suppose  we  say 
revolvers  at  twelve  paces  or  less.  I  have  no 
prejudices.'  It  seems  that  the  baron  had,  for 
he  said  my  new  proposition  was  also  unheard 
of,  uncivilized. 

"Upon  this  I  stood  up  and  said:  'Gentle 
men,  you  have  insisted  on  manufacturing  for 
me  a  quarrel  with  a  man  I  never  saw,  and  have 
suggested — indeed,  said — that  I,  a  soldier,  am 
afraid  and  have  lied  to  you.  I  accepted  the 
situation  thus  forced  on  me,  and  in  place  of 
the  wretched  little  knitting-needles  with  which 
you  fight  child  duels  in  France,  I  propose  to 
take  it  seriously.' 

[40] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"I  saw  the  little  man — the  colonel — was  be 
ginning  to  fidget.  As  I  stopped  he  said,  'Par 
don  me ;  I  have  not  the  honor  fully  to  compre 
hend.' 

"  'Indeed?'  said  I.  'So  far  I  have  hesitated 
to  ascribe  to  gentlemen,  to  a  soldier,  any  mo 
tive  for  your  difficulty  in  accepting  weapons 
which  involve  peril,  and  I  thought  that  I  had 
at  last  done  so.  I  do  not  see  how  I  can  make 
myself  more  clear.' 

"  'Sir,'  said  my  little  man,  'do  I  under 
stand — ' 

"I  was  at  the  end  of  the  sweetest  temper 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  I  broke  into  English 
and  said:  'You  may  understand  what  you 
damn  please.' 

"You  see,  Mr.  Greville,  it  was  getting  to  be 
fatiguing — these  two  improbable  Frenchmen. 
I  suppose  the  small  man  took  my  English  as 
some  recondite  insult,  for  he  drew  himself  up, 
clicked  his  heels  together,  and  said,  'I  shall 
have  the  honor  to  send  to  monsieur  those  who 
[41] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

will  ask  him,  for  me, — for  me,  personally, — to 
translate  his  words,  and,  I  trust,  to  with 
draw  the  offensive  statement  which,  no  doubt, 
they  are  meant  to  convey.' 

"I  replied  that  I  had  no  more  to  say,  except 
that  I  should  instruct  my  friends  to  abide  by 
the  weapons  I  had  mentioned.  On  this  he  lost 
his  temper  and  exclaimed  that  it  was  murder. 
I  said  that  was  my  desire ;  that  they  were  hard 
to  please;  and  that  bowie-knives  exhausted 
the  list  of  weapons  I  should  accept. 

"The  colonel  said  further  that,  as  I  seemed 
to  be  ignorant  of  the  customs  of  civilized 
countries,  it  appeared  proper  to  let  me  know 
that  the  seconds  were  left  to  settle  these  pre 
liminaries,  and  he  supposed  that  I  was  mak 
ing  a  jest  of  a  grave  situation. 

"When  I  replied  that  he  was  as  lacking  in 
courtesy  as  the  baron,  the  little  man  became 
polite  and  regretted  that  the  prior  claim  of 
of  his  two  friends  would,  he  feared,  deprive 
him  of  the  pleasure  of  exacting  that  satisfac- 
[42] 


A.  Diplomatic  Adventure 


tion  which  he  still  hoped  circumstances  would 
eventually  afford  him.  He  was  queerly  per- 
cise  and  too  absurd  for  belief. 

"I  replied  lightly  that  I  should  be  sorry  if 
any  accident  were  to  deprive  him  of  the  hap 
piness  of  meeting  mes  but  that  I  had  the  pleas 
ant  hope  of  being  at  his  service  after  I  had 
shot  the  count  and  the  baron.  I  began  to  en 
joy  this  unique  situation. 

"The  colonel  said  I  was  most  amiable — but 
really,  my  dear  Mr.  Greville,  it  is  past  my 
power  to  do  justice  to  this  scene.  They  were 
like  the  Count  Considines  and  the  Irish  gentle 
men  in  Lever's  novels." 

"And  was  that  all?"  I  asked. 

"No,  not  quite.  After  the  colonel  ceased 
to  criticize  my  views  of  the  duel,  he  again  in 
formed  me  that  his  own  friends  would  call  up 
on  me  to  withdraw  my  injurious  language. 
Then  these  two  peacemakers  departed.  Now 
what  do  you  think  of  my  comedy?" 

I  had  listened  in  amazement  to  this  arrange- 
[43] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

ment — three  duels  as  the  sequel  of  my  adven 
ture  !  As  Merton  ended,  he  burst  into  a  roar 
of  laughter. 

"Now,"  he  said,  "what  will  they  do?— rifle, 
revolver,  or  bowie?  By  George,  I  am  like 
d'Artagnan — my  second  day  in  Paris  and 
three  duels  on  my  hands !  Is  n't  it  jolly?" 

That  was  by  no  means  my  opinion,  "Mr. 
Merton,"  I  said,  "I  came  here  about  this  very 
matter." 

"Indeed !  How  can  that  be?  Pray  go  on— 
and  did  any  man  ever  hear  of  such  a  mix-up  ? 
Where  do  you  come  in  ?" 

"I  will  tell  you.  Last  night  in  the  dark,  by 
mishap,  I  gave  this  infernal  count  your  card 
instead  of  my  own." 

"The  deuce  you  did!  Great  Scott,  what 
fun!" 

"Yes,  I  did."  I  went  on  to  relate  my  en 
counter  with  the  lady,  and  the  manner  in 
which  Count  le  Moyne  had  behaved. 

"What  an  adventure !  I  am  so  sorry  I  was 
not  in  your  place.  What  a  fine  mystery !  But 
[44] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 


w 


f hat  will  you  do?  Was  she  his  wife?  I  have 
had  many  adventures,  but  nothing  to  compare 
with  this.  I  envy  you.  And  you  were  sure 
she  was  not  his  wife?" 

"No,  she  was  not  his  wife ;  and  as  to  what  I 
shall  do,  it  is  simple.  I  shall  go  to  the  count 
and  explain  the  card  and  my  mistake.  I 
meant  to  anticipate  the  visit  to  you  of  Count 
le  Moyne's  seconds.  I  am  sorry  to  have  been 
late." 

"Sorry!  Not  I.  It  is  immense!" 
"The  count  will  call  me  out.  There  will  be 
the  usual  farce  of  a  sword  duel.  I  am  in  fair 
practice.  This  will  relieve  you  so  far  as  con 
cerns  the  count,  and  nobody  else  will  fight  you 
with  the  weapons  you  offer." 

"Won't  they,  indeed?  I  have  been  insulted. 
Do  you  suppose  I  can  sit  quiet  under  it?  No, 
Mr.  Greville.  You,  I  hope,  may  make  your 
self  unpleasant  to  this  count,  but  I  shall  settle 
with  him  and  the  others,  too.  Did  I  happen 
to  mention  that  I  told  them  I  did  not  fight 
with  knitting-needles  ?" 

[45] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"You  did." 

"They  seemed  annoyed." 

"Probably,"  said  I.  Although  the  whole 
affair  appeared  to  me  comical,  it  had,  too,  its 
possible  tragedy. 

"Well,"  I  continued,  "I  shall  find  the  count, 
and  set  right  the  matter  of  the  cards.  After 
that  we  may  better  see  our  way.  These  mat 
ters  are  never  hurried  over  here.  Dine  with 
me  to-night  at  my  rooms  at  seven-thirty ;  and 
meanwhile,  as  for  the  baron— 

"Oh,  the  baron — you  should  see  him.  I 
came  near  to  calling  him  Porthos  to  his  face. 
I  wish  I  had." 

"And  the  small  man,  the  colonel— 

"Oh,  yes — shade  of  Dumas!  He  may  pass 
for  Aramis." 

*I  laughed.     "By  the  way,"  I  added,  "he  is 
one  of  the  best  blades  in  France." 

"Is  he?     However  he  comes  in  third.     But 
can  he  shoot?    If  I  accept  the  sword,— and  it 
may  come  to  that,— I  am  pretty  sure  to  be  left 
[46] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

with  something  to  remember.  If  we  use  rifles, 
I  assure  you  they  will  remember  me  still  longer 
or  not  at  all."  There  was  savage  menace  in 
his  blue  eyes  as  he  spoke.  "But  is  it  not 
ridiculous  ?" 

I  said  it  was. 

"And  now  about  this  count  who  is  inter 
ested  in  the  anonymous  lady.  I  suppose  he 
may  pass  for  Athos.  That  makes  it  complete. 
Have  some  rye.  Smuggled  it.  Said  it  was 
medicine.  The  customs  fellow  tried  it  neat, 
and  said  I  had  poisoned  him." 

I  declined  the  wine  of  my  country,  and  an 
swered  him  that  Athos,  as  I  had  learned,  was 
a  man  of  high  character  who  had  lately  j  oined 
the  Foreign  Office,  a  keen  imperialist,  happily 
married  and  rich. 

"Then  certainly  it  cannot  be  the  wife." 

"No,  I  think  I  said  so ;  I  am  thankful  to  be 
able  to  say  that  it  is  not.  But  what  part  the 
woman  has  in  this  muddle  is  past  my  compre 
hension." 

[47] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Stop  a  little,"  said  my  d'Artagnan.  "You 
are  having  a  good  deal  of  trouble  to  keep  this 
short-legged  Emperor  from  getting  John  Bull 
and  the  rest  to  bully  us  into  peace." 

"Yes,  there  has  been  trouble  brewing  all 
summer."  I  could  not  imagine  what  the  man 
was  after. 

"Well,  the  woman  seemed  pleased  when  she 
learned  that  you  were  an  American.  You 
said  so,  and  also  that  the  count  charged  you 
with  being  in  that  affair.  He  slipped  up  a  bit 
there.  He  seemed  to  believe  you  to  be  en 
gaged  in  something  of  which  he  did  not  want 
to  talk  freely." 

"Yes,  that  is  true." 

The  blue  eyes  held  mine  for  a  moment,  and 
then  he  inquired,  "Was  she — "  and  he  paused. 

"My  dear  captain,  she  is  an  American  and 
a  lady." 

"I  ask  her  pardon.  A  lady?  You  are  sure 
she  is  a  lady?" 

[48] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Yes." 

"Then  it  is  a  matter  of — let  me  think — not 
jealousy?  Hardly.  We  may  leave  that  out." 

"Certainly." 

"Don't  you  catch  on,  Mr.  Greville?" 

"No,  I  must  say  I  do  not." 

"Well,  consider  it  coolly.  Exclude  love, 
jealousy,  any  gross  fraud,  and  what  is  left? 
What  can  be  left  ?'' 

"I  do  not  know." 

"How  about  politics,"  he  smiled.  "How 
does  that  strike  you?" 

The  moment  he  let  fall  this  key-word,  "Pol 
itics,"  I  began  to  suspect  that  he  was  right. 
The  woman  had  exhibited  relief  when  I  had 
said  I  was  an  American.  We  lived  in  a  maze 
of  spies  of  nearly  every  class  of  life,  rarely 
using  the  post-office,  trusting  no  one.  With 
our  own  secret  agents  I  had  little  to  do.  The 
first  secretary  or  the  minister  saw  them,  and 
we  were  not  badly  served  either  in  England  or 
[49] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

France ;  but  all  this  did  not  do  more  than  en 
able  me  to  see  my  d'Artagnan's  notion  as  pos 
sibly  a  reasonable  guess. 

After  a  moment's  thought  I  said:  "You 
may  be  right ;  but  even  if  you  are,  the  matter 
remains  a  problem  which  we  are  very  unlikely 
ever  to  solve.  But  how  can  a  handsome  young 
American  woman  be  so  deeply  concerned  in 
some  political  affair  as  to  account  for  this 
amazing  conduct  of  a  secretary  not  yet  a  week 
old  in  the  work  of  the  imperial  Foreign  Of 
fice." 

Merton  smiled.  "We  exhaust  personal  mo 
tives — what  else  is  left?  Politics!  She  may 
know  something  which  it  seems  to  be  desirable 
she  should  not  know.  We  must  find  her." 

The  more  I  considered  his  theory,  the  more 
I  inclined  to  doubt  it.  At  all  events  as  things 
stood  it  was  none  of  our  business — and  after 
a  moment's  reflection  I  said: 

"We  have  quite  enough  on  our  hands  with 
out  the  woman.  I  shall  see  the  count  to-day, 
[50] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

and  then  we  may  be  in  a  better  position  to 
know  what  further  should  be  done." 

"Done?"  laughed  the  captain.  "I  shall 
give  all  three  fools  what  is  called  satisfaction. 
I  don't  take  much  stock  in  them.  I  hate  Ar- 
amis.  It 's  the  woman  interests  me  the  most." 

"The  woman?  I  assure  you,  I  am  out  of 
that." 

"Oh,  no,  no!  We  must  find  her.  She  is  in 
trouble." 

I  laughed.     "Can  we  find  her?" 

"We  must.    I  like  her  looks." 

"But  you  never  saw  her." 

"No.  But  the  most  beautiful  woman  is  al 
ways  the  one  I  never  saw." 

He  was  delightful,  my  d'Artagnan,  with 
his  amused  acceptance  of  three  duels,  and  now 
his  interest  in  an  unknown  woman.  But  I 
held  fast  to  my  opinion,  and  after  some  fur 
ther  talk  I  went  away  to  make  my  belated  ex 
planation  to  Count  le  Moyne. 

[51] 


VI 

AFTER  dinner  that  evening  Merton  and 
ji\.  I  settled  ourselves  in  my  little  salon 
with  coffee,  cognac,  and  cigars.  Merton  said : 

"Are  we  safe  here  ?" 

"Yes.  There  are  two  doors,  and  the  outer 
one  I  have  locked.  My  last  valet  was  a  spy. 
The  information  he  got  for  their  Foreign 
Office  must  have  been  valuable.  My  present 
man — the  fellow  who  waited  on  us  just  now — 
is  also  a  spy,"  and  upon  this  I  told  the  cap 
tain  of  my  arrangement  with  Alphonse. 

He  was  much  amused.  "Can  you  realty 
trust  him?"  he  said. 

"Yes,  he  has  an  old  mother  whom  I  have 
seen  and  have  helped.     I  believe  that  it  is  his 
desire  and  interest  to  serve  me  and  at  the  same 
time  to  keep  his  place  as  a  paid  spy." 
[52] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

'  'What  a  droll  arrangement !  And  are  you 
really  sure  of  him?" 

"Yes,  as  far  as  one  can  be  sure  of  any  one 
in  this  tangle  of  spies." 

"But  does  he  not — must  he  not — seem  to 
earn  his  outside  pay?" 

"Yes,  seem.  I  will  call  him  in.  He  will 
talk  if  I  assure  him  that  he  is  safe." 

"Delightful— most  delightful!  By  all 
means !" 

I  rang  for  Alphonse. 

"Alphonse,"  I  said,  "  this  gentleman  is  my 
friend.  He  cannot  quite  believe  that  you  can 
be  true  to  me  and  yet  satisfy  your  superiors 
in  the  police." 

"Oh,  monsieur!"  exclaimed  Alphonse.  He 
was  evidently  hurt. 

"To  relieve  him,  tell  monsieur  of  our  little 
arrangement." 

"The  letters,  monsieur?" 

"Yes." 

"Well,  my  master  is  kind  enough  to  leave 
[53] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

open  certain  letters.  They  have  been  found  to 
be  of  interest.  My  pay  has  been  raised.  Cir 
cumstances  make  it  desirable." 

"What  is  her  name?"  said  Merton,  laugh 
ing. 

"Louise." 

"What  letters,  Greville,  do  you  turn  over 
for  the  recreation  and  service  of  the  Foreign 
Office?" 

"My  uncle's,"  said  I,  "usually." 

"Ah,  I  see.  The  old  gentleman's  opinions 
must  be  refreshing — authoritative  they  are, 
I  am  sure.  When  last  I  saw  him  he  had,  as 
usual,  secret  intelligence  from  the  army.  He 
always  has.  I  think  with  joy  of  the  effect  of 
his  letters  on  the  young  secretaries  of  the  For 
eign  Office." 

I  confessed  my  own  pleasure  in  the  game, 
and  was  about  to  let  Alphonse  go  when  Mer 
ton  said: 

"May  I  take  a  great  liberty  ?" 

"Certainly,"  I  laughed— "short  of  taking 
Alphonse.  What  is  it?" 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Alphonse,"  asked  Merton,  "would  you 
know  the  lady  you  followed  and  guided  that 
night  in  the  Bois?" 

"Yes,  monsieur." 

"Do  you  want  to  make  two  hundred 
francs?" 

"Without  doubt." 

"Find  that  woman  and  I  will  give  you  three 
hundred." 

"It  will  be  difficult.  Paris  is  large  and  wo 
men  are  numerous." 

"Yes,  but  there  is  the  Count  le  Moyne  as  a 
clue." 

"Yes,  yes."  He  seemed  to  be  thinking. 
Then  he  turned  to  me. 

"If  monsieur  approves  and  can  do  without 
me  for  two  days  ?" 

"Certainly."  I  was  not  very  anxious  to  add 
the  woman  to  our  increasing  collection  of  not 
easily  solved  problems,  but  Merton  was  so 
eager  that  I  decided  to  make  this  new  move  in 
our  complicated  game. 

Alphonse  stood  still  a  moment. 
[55] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Well?"  I  said. 

"The  lady,  monsieur, — she  is,  I  think,  not 
French." 

"No ;  she  is  an  American,  and  that  is  all  we 
know." 

"But  that  is  much.  Then  I  am  free  to 
morrow  ?" 

"Yes,"  and  he  left  us. 

"What  a  fine  specimen!"  said  the  cap 
tain;  "scamp  rather  than  scoundrel.  Well, 
I  suppose  I  shall  hear  from  the  count 
and  Porthos  and  the  little  man  with  the  pink 
kid  gloves — Aramis.  I  hate  the  little  ani 
mal,  but  Porthos — I  want  you  to  see  Por 
thos.  He  has  gigantic  manners.  He  is  so 
conscious  of  his  bigness,  and  makes  chests 
at  you  like  a  pouter  pigeon.  He  has  a 
bass  voice  like  a  war-drum.  Things  shake. 
Oh,  I  like  Porthos.  Pardon  my  nonsense, 
Greville,  but  the  whole  thing  is  so  big,  so 
grotesquely  huge.  Tell  me  about  Athos, 
[56] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

the  count.  Your  cigars  were  not  bought 
in  France;  may  I  have  another?  Thanks. 
You  were  to  see  him  to-day." 

"Yes;  I  called  on  him,  and  I  assure  you," 
I  replied,  "that  nothing  you  have  told  me  is 
more  wonderful  than  my  sequel.  I  did  think 
you  had  the  original  trois  mousquetdires 
rather  too  much  on  your  mind,  but  really,  the 
resemblance  is  certainly  fascinating." 

"But  what  about  the  count  ?  You  have  seen 
him,  I  suppose." 

"Yes,  I  saw  Count  le  Moyne.  He  lives  in  a 
charming  little  hotel  near  the  Pare  Monceaux. 
He  had  my  card  in  his  hand  when  I  entered. 
He  welcomed  me  quite  warmly,  and  said,  'It 
is  odd,  as  you  are  of  your  legation,  that  we 
have  never  met;  but  then  I  am  only  of  late 
transferred  from  Vienna.  Pray  sit  down.' 

"I  was  sure  that  for  a  fraction  of  a  moment 
he  did  not  identify  me,  but  as  I  spoke,  my 
voice,  as  so  often  happens,  revealed  more  than 
[57] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

the  darkness  had  made  visible.  I  observed  at 
once  that,  although  still  extremely  courteous, 
he  became  more  cool  and  looked  puzzled. 

"I  said;  'Monsieur,  last  night,  in  the  dark 
ness,  I  gave  you  by  mistake  the  card  of  my 
friend  Captain  Merton  in  place  of  my  own.  I 
have  called  in  person  solely  to  apologize  for 
my  blunder.'  As  I  spoke  I  stood  up,  adding, 
'As  this  is  my  only  purpose,  I  shall  leave  you 
to  rearrange  matters  as  may  seem  best  to 
you.'" 


[58] 


VII 

AS  I  turned  to  go  he  said :  'May  I  ask  you 
./JL  to  sit  down  ?  Now  that  I  know  you  to  be 
of  your  legation,  and  I  being,  as  you  are 
aware,  in  the  Foreign  Office,  an  affair  between 
us  would  be  for  both  services  unadvisable. 
Having  left  myself  in  the  hands  of  my 
friends,  I  am  now  doing,  as  you  will  under 
stand,  an  unusual  thing ;  but  whatever  may  be 
the  result,  I  feel  that,  as  a  gentleman,  you  will 
hold  me  excused.  There  was  a  woman  in  your 
carriage.  Of  course  our  police  found  the  cab 
man  and  got  it  out  of  him.  I  have  no  di 
rect  personal  interest  in  her — none;  nor  can 
I  explain  myself  further.  I  regret  that  in 
the  annoyance  of  my  failure  to  effect  my 
purpose  I  was  guilty  of  a  grave  discourtesy. 
[59] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

If  you  had  told  me  that  you  would  send  your 
seconds  to  me  to-day,  I  should  have  felt  that 
you  were  fully  justified.  I  can  very  well 
afford  to  say  that  I  owe  you  an  apology; 
and,  fortunately,  my  friends  will  have 
learned  that  I  sent  them  to  the  wrong  man 
and  will  return  for  instructions.  If,  how 
ever,  you  feel — ' 

"  'Oh,  no,'  I  said ;  'pardon  me,  I  am  quite 
willing  to  forget  an  unfortunate  incident,  and 
to  add  that  the  lady,  by  the  merest  accident, 
took  shelter  from  the  rain  in  my  carriage.  I 
never  met  her  before.' 

"I  saw  at  once  that  he  had  a  look  of  what  I 
took  to  be  relief.  He  smiled,  became  quite 
cordial,  and  when  I  added  that  whatever  I 
might  have  said  or  done  the  night  before  was 
really  unavoidable,  he  returned  that  it  was 
quite  true  that  he  had  been  hasty,  and  that, 
as  he  had  said  very  little  to  his  friends,  it 
would  rest  between  us. 

"As  I  rose  to  go,  I  could  not  help  saying 
[60] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

that  the  remarkably  good  looks  of  the  woman 
made  my  conduct  the  more  excusable. 

"  'Yes,'  he  said ;  'at  least  she  is  handsome, 
but — '  and  here  he  paused  and  then  added,  'I 
hope  before  long  to  have  the  pleasure  of  pre 
senting  you  to  my  wife.' 

"I  thanked  him." 

"One  moment,"  said  Merton,  "before  you 
go  on.  It  is  clear  that  the  woman  is  a  lady ; 
that  he  was  wildly  eager  to  catch  her,  and 
especially  at  that  time;  that,  being  foiled,  he 
lost  his  temper ;  that  he  believes  you,  or  makes 
believe  to  do  so;  and,  finally,  that  he  is  sen 
sible  enough  to  know  that  a  duel  with  an 
American  secretary  is  undesirable.  You  let 
him  off  easy." 

"I  did,  but  I  had  the  same  kind  of  reason 
to  avoid  a  hostile  meeting  that  he  has.  More 
over,  he  is  really  a  charming  fellow,  and  it 
must  have  cost  him  something  to  apologize." 

"But  about  the  woman  who  set  all  these  pots 
a-boiling — I  beg  pardon,  simmering — " 
[61] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Oh,  the  woman.  I  hope  I  may  never  see 
her  again." 

"You  will.  That  fellow  Alphonse  will  find 
her." 

"I  hope  not.  But  what  a  mess !  cherchez  la 
femme!" 

"That  we  must  do,"  laughed  Merton.  "The 
mosquitoes  illustrate  the  proverb :  only  the  fe 
males  bite.  Good,  that,  is  n't  it?  But  what 
next  ?  I  interrupted  you.  You  are  out  of  it, 
but  where  do  I  come  in  ?  What  about  Porthos 
and  that  little  red  weasel  Aramis?" 

"And  D'Artagnan?"  I  laughed. 

"If  you  like,  Greville.  You  are  compli 
mentary.  Was  that  all?" 

"No.  The  count  said,  'I  will  at  once  write 
to  Captain  Merton  and  apologize,  but  I  fancy 
my  friends  have  already  done  so.'  I  was 
about  to  take  leave  of  the  count  when  in 
walked  the  baron,  behind  the  biggest  mus 
tache  in  Paris,  a  ponderous  person.  'Shade 
of  Dumas !'  I  muttered ;  Torthos !  Porthos  !9 
[62] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

Behind  him  was  a  much-made-up  little  fel 
low,  the  colonel— your  Aramis." 

"Oh,  drop  him.  He  is  what  the  arithme 
ticians  call  a  negligible  quantity.  What 
next?" 

"The  count  said,  'Allow  me  to  present  M. 
Greville  of  the  American  Legation — the 
Baron  la  Garde,  my  cousin,  and  the  Colonel 
St.  Pierre.'  We  bowed,  and  the  count  said, 
'M.  Greville  is  somewhat  concerned  in  the  af 
fair  in  which  you  have  been  so  kind  as  to  act 
for  me.' 

"The  two  gentlemen  looked  a  little  bewild 
ered,  but  bowed  again  and  sat  down,  while 
the  count  added:  'You  may  speak  freely.  I 
suppose  M.  Merton  explained  that  he  was 
not  the  person.'  : 

"Oh,  by  all  that  's  jolly!  what  a  situa 
tion  for  the  stage!  A  match,  please.  What 
next?" 

"The  baron  spoke  first.     'I  do  not  under 
stand  you,  my  dear  count.' 
[63] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"The  count  said:  'Why  not?  It  was  very 
simple.  I  presume  you  to  have  said  that 
you  regretted  the  mistake,  and  then  I  sup 
pose  you  apologized  and  came  away  to  re 
port  to  me.  I  am  sorry  to  have  sent  you 
on  a  fruitless  errand.  Kindly  tell  us  what 
passed.' 

"The  colonel  sat  up,  and,  as  I  thought, 
was  a  little  embarrassed.  He  said:  'With 
your  permission,  baron,  I  shall  have  the 
honor  to  relate  our  conversation.  We  put 
the  matter,  count,  as  you  desired.  You  had 
been  insulted.  What  explanation  had  M. 
Merton  to  offer?  Then  this  amazing  Amer 
ican  said  that  it  was  not  true  that  he  had  in 
sulted  you;  that  he  had  not  given  you  his 
card;  that  he  had  never  seen  you;  that  it 
was  a  droll  mistake — "that  you  were  unfor 
tunate  in  your  friends."  I  think  I  am  cor 
rect,  baron?' 

"  'Yes.     I  so  understood  it.' 

"  'Then  you  said,  as  I  recall  it,  baron, 
[64] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

that — that — there  was  only  one  word  to 
apply  to  a  man  who  could  insult  another  and 
try  to  escape  the  consequences.  Then  he 
said — well,  to  cut  it  short,  he  would  send 
his  friends  to  us,  and  that,  as  he  was  the 
challenged  party,  it  would  save  time  if  he 
now  declared  it  must  be  rifles — or  revolvers 
— or,  yes,  what  he  called  bowie.  What  that 
is  I  know  not.'  ! 

"Lovely!"  murmured  Merton.  "Go  on." 
"I  explained  to  the  count's  friends  that 
the  bowie  was  a  big  knife  with  which  our 
Western  gentlemen  chopped  one  another. 
The  count  sat  still,  with  a  look  of  repressed 
mirth,  I  choking  with  the  fun  of  it,  Aramis 
fidgeting,  the  baron  swelling  with  rage. 
The  count  asked  if  that  were  all. 

"Aramis  went  on:  'When  I  assured  M. 
Merton  that  the  methods  proposed  were 
barbarous,  he  made  himself  unpleasant,  and 
I  was  forced  to  say  that  his  language  was 
of  such  incorrectness— in  fact,  so  monstrous 
[65] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

that  as  a  French  soldier  I  held  him  person 
ally  responsible.  The  animal  assured  me 
that  when  he  was  through  with  you  and  the 
baron,  he  would  attend  to  my  own  case.  I 
grieve  to  admit,  count,  that  our  friend  the 
baron,  usually  so  amiable,  had  previously 
lost  his  temper.  That  was  when  our  brig 
and  proposed  revolvers  and  the  knife-bowie, 
and  said  we  were  difficult.' 

"  'I  did,'  said  the  baron;  %  who  am  all 
that  there  is  of  amiable.  Yes,  I  lost  my 
temper.'  He  stood  up  as  he  went  on.  *I 
said  it  was  uncivilized,  that  it  was  no  jest, 
but  a  grave  matter.  Mon  Dieu!  That  man, 
he  told  me  that  we  fought  with  knitting- 
needles,  that  our  duels  were  baby-play — me 

—me — he  said  that  to  me !  What  could  I  re 
ply?  I  said  I  should  ask  him  to  retract. 
That  man  laughed — a  faire  peur — the  room 
shook.  Then  he  said  to  excuse  him,  it  was 

—so   what   he   called   "damn   nonsense."      I 
think,  colonel,  I  am  correct?     What  means 
that,  M.  Greville— damn  nonsense?' 
[66] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"  'English  for  very  interesting,'  said  I, 
not  wishing  to  aggravate  the  situation. 

"  'Ah,  thanks,'  said  Aramis.  'This  Amer 
ican  he  was  pleasant  of  a  sudden,  and  would 
be  happy  to  hear  from  us  all.  He  did  re 
gret  that  I  came  third,  but  that  after  he 
had  killed  you  and  the  baron  he  would  be 
most  happy  to  kill  me.  Mon  Dieu!  we  shall 
see.  It  remains  to  await  his  friends.  I 
shall  kill  him.' 

"  'Pardon  me,'  said  the  baron ;  'he  belongs 
to  me.' 

"Meanwhile  the  count's  face  was  a  study. 
What  it  cost  him  not  to  explode  into  laugh 
ter  I  shall  never  guess  except  by  my  knowl 
edge  of  the  internal  convulsions  of  my  own 
organs  of  mirth.  But  Athos — I  like  him. 
He  said  at  last  very  quietly:  'Here,  gentle 
men,  are  three  duels — a  fair  morning's  work. 
May  I  ask  you,  M.  Greville,  if  you  know 
Captain  Merton?  I  mean  well.'  " 

"Lord,   what   a   chance!      What   did   you 


say?" 


[67] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"I  saw  what  he  meant,  and  said  you  were 
a  captain  in  our  army,  had  been  twice 
wounded,  and  were  here  to  recruit  your 
health;  that  you  were  of  first  force  with  the 
rifle  and  revolver,  but  knew  nothing  of  the 
small  sword. 

"The  baron's  shoulders  were  lifted  and  he 
spread  out  huge  hands  of  disgust.  'But 
these  weapons  are  impossible.  Only  a  semi- 
civilized  people  could  desire  to  employ  the 
weapons  of  savages.' 

"  'Pardon  me,'  I  said ;  'I  presume  that 
the  rifle  and  revolver  are  both  used  in  your 
service;  and,  also,  may  I  ask  you  to  remem 
ber  that  I,  too,  am  an  American?' 

"  'That  does  not  alter  my  opinion.  If 
monsieur — ' 

'"Oh,  stop,  stop!'  cried  the  count.  'M. 
Greville  is  my  guest.  He  will  allow  me  to 
reply.  Do  you  mean  to  create  four  duels 
in  a  day?  My  dear  cousin  will  recall  his 
words.' 

[68] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"  'My  dear  cousin'  did  not  like  it,  but 
said  stiffly,  'So  far  as  M.  Greville  is  con 
cerned,  I  withdraw  them.' 

"I  bowed  and  said:  'Permit  me,  count. 
These  gentlemen,  as  it  seems  to  me,  have 
put  you  and  themselves  in  the  position  of 
challengers,  which  everywhere  gives  to  the 
challenged  party  the  right  to  choose  his 
weapon.  As  M.  Merton's  friends  will  abide 
by  his  decision,  your  own  seconds  must,  I 
fancy,  accept  what  is  or  would  be  usual  with 
us.  They  have  no  choice  except  to  decline 
and  allow  their  refusal  to  be  made  public, 
as  it  will  be,  or  to  choose  one  of  the  three 
weapons  so  generously  offered.' 

"The  baron  glared  at  me,  the  colonel  was 
silent,  and  the  count  said:  'M.  Greville  is 
correct.  I  regret  to  have  been  the  means  of 
putting  you  in  a  false  position.  M.  Greville 
has  come  to  explain  to  me  that  in  the  dark 
ness  of  the  night,  when  our  vehicles  came  to 
gether  and  we  said  some  angry  words,  he 
[69] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

gave  me  by  mistake  the  card  of  M.  le  Capi- 
taine  Merton.  M.  Greville  and  I — you  will 
pardon  me — have  amicably  arranged  our 
little  trouble,  as  I  shall  tell  you  more 
fully.'  " 

"Oh,  joy!"  cried  Merton;  "close  of  fourth 
act.  Every  one  on  but  D'Artagnan  and  the 
woman.  Athos,  Porthos,  Aramis!  What 
next?  Was  there  ever  anything  more  dra 
matically  all  that  could  be  desired?  What 
next?" 

"The  count  was  very  pleasant,  and 
thought  only  a  little  explanation  was  re 
quired  to  reconcile  his  friends  and  the  cap 
tain.  This  by  no  means  satisfied  Porthos. 

"The  baron  said  he  would  fight  with  a 
cannon  if  necessary,  and  he  will.  Aramis 
is  degenerate.  He  observed  that  it  would 
require  consideration.  Then  the  count  said: 
'The  captain's  ideas  are  certainly  some 
what  original,  and  why  not  leave  it  to  M. 
Greville  and  me  and  such  others  as  we  may 
choose?' 

[70] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"I  was  well  pleased.  Whether  they  were 
or  not,  I  cannot  tell.  They  said,  however,  a 
variety  of  agreeable  nothings,  and  I  am  to 
see  the  count  to-morrow.  He  kept  Porthos 
and  Aramis  and,  I  suspect,  gave  the  two 
fools  a  lecture." 

"Well,  well,"  said  Merton.  "When  I 
left  the  regiment  I  thought  I  was  out  of 
the  world  of  adventure." 

"Oh,  this  is  comic  opera.  I  do  not  sup 
pose  that  you  really  want  to  fight  these 
idiots." 

"No;  but  I  will,  if  they  desire  to  be  thus 
amused.  Otherwise  there  will  have  to  be 
some  word-eating.  I  was  not  bluffing." 

"Porthos  will  stick  it  out.  You  won't  be 
too  stiff-necked,  I  trust." 

"Oh,  no.  I  leave  myself  in  your  hands— 
I  mean  absolutely;  and  I  want  also  to  say, 
Greville,  that  this  queer  affair  ought  to 
make  us  friends." 

"It  has,"    I  returned  with  warmth.     "You 
dine  with  the  minister  next  week,  I  believe." 
[71] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Yes,  Monday." 

We  talked  for  a  few  minutes  of  the  cam 
paigns  at  home,  and  then  he  returned  to 
the  subject  which  just  now  more  immediately 
interested  him.  "What  about  that  woman? 
I  have  an  impression  that  we  are  not  at  the 
end,  but  at  the  beginning,  of  an  adventure. 
Are  you  not  curious?" 

"Yes,  I  am,  and  my  curiosity  has  ripened. 
There  may  be  some  politics  in  the  matter, 
just  as  you  say.  If,  as  is  barely  possible, 
it  is  our  international  affairs  that  are  in 
volved,  it  is  my  duty  to  follow  it  up  and  to 
know  more.  But  how  to  follow  it  up?  In 
what  way  an  unknown  American  lady  can  be 
concerned  in  them,  I  am  unable  to  imagine. 
This,  however,  is,  I  think,  certain,  the  count 
did  not  want  to  be  involved  in  an  affair  of 
honor  about  this  lady.  We  were  to  be  sup 
posed  to  have  quarreled  over  cards.  He 
wanted  her  to  disappear  from  the  scene. 
But  why?" 

[72] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Well,  it  is  late,"  said  Merton,  looking  at 
the  clock.  "Good  night.  I  shall  stay  at 
home  to-morrow  until  I  hear  from  you  and 
the  count." 

I  may  add  that  Merton  at  once  accepted 
the  count's  explanation  and  called  on  him. 
The  affair  of  Baron  Porthos  and  my  friend 
proved  more  difficult.  Both  declined  to 
apologize.  Somehow,  it  got  out  at  the  clubs, 
and  Paris  was  gaily  amused  over  para 
graphs  about  the  Wild  West  man  who  would 
fight  only  with  the  knife-bowie.  Merton 
was  furious,  and  I  had  hard  work  to  keep 
him  within  bounds. 

Meanwhile  the  count  and  another  gentle 
man  rnet  me,  a  friend  of  mine,  Lieutenant 
West,  a  naval  officer,  and  made  vain  efforts 
to  bring  about  peace  or  a  duel  with  swords; 
at  which  Merton  only  laughed,  saying  that 
when  he  went  "a-cat-fishing,  he  went  a-cat- 
fishing,"  a  piece  of  national  wisdom  which  I 
found  myself  incompetent  to  make  clear  to 
[73] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

my  French  friends.  Aramis  was  easier  to 
manage  than  his  namesake.  Meanwhile,  our 
minister  was  very  much  troubled  over  the 
matter,  and  the  count  hardly  less  so.  But 
Porthos  was  as  inexorable  as  his  namesake, 
and  Merton  merely  obstinate.  It  was  what 
the  count  described  as  an  impasse. 


[741 


VIII 

AT  this  time  the  Emperor — for  this  was 
-£"^-  in  the  fall  of  '62 — was  busy  about  his 
Mexican  venture,  and  our  legations  were  dis 
turbed  by  vague  rumors  of  efforts  to  com 
bine  the  great  powers  in  an  agreement  to 
bring  about  a  perilous  intervention  in  our 
affairs,  which  at  home  were  going  badly 
enough,  with  one  disaster  after  another. 
No  one  at  the  legation  knew  how  deep  the 
Emperor  was  in  the  matter,  but  there  was  a 
chill  of  expectation  in  the  air,  and  yet  no 
distinct  evidence  of  the  trouble  which  was 
brewing. 

It  was,  as  I  have  said,  an  essential  part 
of  my  work  to  frequent  the  best  houses  and 
in  every  way  to  learn  what  was  the  tone  of 
feeling.  It  was,  in  fact,  so  hostile  that  it 
was  now  and  then  hard  to  avoid  personal 
[75] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

quarrels.  In  England  it  was,  if  possible, 
worse.  Mr.  Gladstone  had  spoken  in  public, 
and  with  warm  praise  of  Mr.  Jefferson 
Davis  and  the  confederation.  Roebuck  had 
described  our  army  as  the  "scum  of  Eu 
rope."  We  had  few  important  friends  in 
England  or  France.  The  English  premier 
was,  to  say  the  least,  unfriendly,  and  Lord 
John  Russell  in  their  Foreign  Office  was  not 
much  better. 

Meanwhile  I  came  to  know  and  like  the 
Count  le  Moyne,  who  was  a  warm  Napo- 
leonist,  and  whom  I  had  to  see  often,  either 
on  our  impossible  duel  or  on  diplomatic  bus 
iness.  During  this  familiar  intercourse,  I 
began  to  notice  that  he  was  distracted  and, 
I  thought,  worried. 

When  I  spoke  of  it  to  Merton,  he  said, 
"That  's  the  woman."  He  had  no  reason  to 
think  so,  but  he  was  one  of  the  rare  men 
whose  intuitions  are  apt  to  be  correct.  This 
business  of  the  duel  went  on  for  a  week. 
[76] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

To  go  back  a  little,  I  should  have  said 
that  at  the  end  of  his  two  days'  leave  Al- 
phonse  appeared  and  asked  for  three  days 
more.  He  had  no  report  to  make,  and  went 
away  again. 

On  the  next  day  but  one  I  was  writing 
letters  in  my  salon,  and  Merton  was  growl 
ing  over  the  unpleasant  news  our  papers 
were  bringing  us.  Suddenly  Alphonse  ap 
peared.  He  waited  without  a  word  until  I 
said,  "You  have  found  her." 

"Yes;  it  was  all  that  there  is  of  simple. 
Monsieur  had  said  she  is  an  American — I 
went  to  the  American  church." 

Merton  looked  at  me,  smiling,  as  he  re 
marked,  "Like  all  the  great  things,  it  was 
simple." 

"I  saw  the  lady  come  out  after  the  morn 
ing  service.  When  I  began  to  follow  her  at  a 
distance  I  saw  that  she  was  also  followed  by 
one  of  the  best  men  of  the  police.  I  know 
him  well.  I  also  perceived  that,  as  it  seemed 
[77] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

to  me,  the  lady  was  uneasy,  and,  I  think, 
aware  that  she  was  watched." 

Here  Merton  stopped  him.  "You  are 
sure  that  is  the  same  woman  you  saw  in 
the  carriage." 

"Monsieur,  when  once  this  lady  has  been 
seen,  she  is  not  to  be  forgotten." 

"Ha!"  exclaimed  the  captain;  "I  told 
you  so,  Greville.  But  go  on,  Alphonse." 

"And  cut  it  short,"   said  I,  impatient. 

Alphonse  paused.  "Circumstances,  mon 
sieur,  oblige  me  to  speak  in  some  d!etail. 
I  was  two  years  in  the  service.  Those 
who  watch  and  follow  madame  are  of  the 
best.  I  know  them.  Therefore  there  is 
something  serious." 

"And  her  name?"  I  asked. 

"Mme.  Bellegarde,  Rue  de  St.  Victor, 
No.  31 — a  small  private  hotel.  I  regret 
not  to  be  able  to  report  more  fully,  but  I 
am  well  known  as  monsieur's  valet.  To 
appear  too  curious  would  be  unwise." 
[78] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

I  regarded  my  valet  with  increasing 
respect,  while  Merton  ejaculated,  "Damn 
such  a  country!"  and  I  asked: 

"Is  that  all?" 

"Yes,    monsieur;   but    circumstances — " 

"Oh,  that  will  do,"  I  said.  "You  may 
go." 

When  alone  with  Merton,  he  said  to  me, 
"You  must  call  on  her." 

"No,"  I  said ;  "she  is  suspected  of  some 
thing  and  I,  at  least  for  a  time,  was  taken 
to  be  an  accomplice.  That  would  never 
do." 

"You  are  right,"  returned  Merton, 
thoughtfully;  "quite  right.  You  must  keep 
quiet.  The  matter,  whatever  it  may  be,  is 
still  unsettled;  but  I  am  resolute  to  find 
what  this  woman  has  done,  and  why  she  is 
watched  like  a  suspected  thief.  I  never  was 
more  curious." 

For  a  moment  we  considered  the  situa 
tion  in  silence.  At  last  Merton  said,  "If 
[79] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

this   woman   goes   out   into    society,    might 
you  not  chance  to  meet  her?" 

"Yes,  but  I  never  as  yet  have  done  so, 
and  I  remember  faces  well.  I  may  meet 
her  any  day,  or  never  meet  her  at  all,  but 
any  direct  approach  we  must  give  up.  The 
more  I  think  of  it,  the  graver  it  appears. 
If  it  be  a  police  affair,  no  letter  reaches  her 
unopened.  Rest  assured  of  that.  She  is 
like  a  fly  in  a  cobweb.  Chance  may  help 
us,  but  so  far  the  luck  has  been  against  us." 

"No,"  said  Merton;  "the  game  is  not 
played  out.  There  is  something  they  don't 
know,  and  they  are,  therefore,  no  better  off 
than  we." 

With  this  he  went  away  and  Alphonse  re 
turned.  The  man  was  plainly  troubled.  He 
said  he  could  do  no  more,  and  that  when  he 
had  made  his  report  to  the  police  that  day 
he  had  been  told  to  keep  a  closer  watch  on  me 
and  my  letters.  Might  he  show  them  a  note 
or  two? 

[80] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

I  said,  laughing:  "Yes;  there  are  two  re 
plies  to  invitations  and  a  note  to  my  tailor." 

That  would  do,  and  might  he  venture  to 
say  that  monsieur  would  be  well  advised  to 
keep  out  of  the  matter? 

I  thanked  him,  and  there  the  thing  stood 
over  for  several  days  longer. 


[81] 


IX 

TWO  days  later  I  dined  at  one  of  the  great 
Bonapartist  houses.  I  was  late,  and 
as  the  guests  were  about  to  go  to  dinner, 
our  hostess  said,  "Let  me  present  you  to  a  fel 
low  countrywoman,  M.  Greville  of  the  Ameri 
can  Legation — Mme.  Bellegarde."  I  was 
so  taken  aback  that  I  could  hardly  find  words 
to  speak  to  her  until  we  sat  down  together 
at  dinner.  She,  too,  was  equally  agitated. 
I  talked  awhile  to  my  left-hand  neighbor, 
but  presently  her  adjoining  table  compan 
ion  spoke  to  her  and  being  thus  set  free,  I 
said  to  Mme.  Bellegarde  in  English,  speak 
ing  low: 

"You  are  my  countrywoman,  and  are,  as 
I  know,  in  trouble.     What  is  it?     After  we 
[82] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

met  I  learned  your  name,  but  I  have  been 
prudent  enough  to  refrain  from  calling." 

She  said:  "Yes;  you  are  right.  I  am  in 
trouble,  and  of  my  own  making.  In  my  dis 
tress  that  awful  night  I  did  not  want  to  give 
my  name  to  a  stranger,  and  now  to  recog 
nize  in  my  companion  one  of  our  own  lega 
tion  is  really  a  piece  of  great  good  fortune. 
We  cannot  talk  here.  I  may  be  able  to  be 
of  service  to  the  legation — to  my  country, 
but  we  dare  not  talk  here.  What  I  have  to 
say  is  long.  You  must  not  call  on  me,  but 
we  must  meet.  Come  to  the  masked  ball  at 
the  palace  to-morrow — no,  not  you.  Some 
one  who  is  not  of  the  legation — some  one 
you  can  trust.  It  is  a  masquerade  as  you 
must  know.  I  shall  wear  a  mask — a  black 
domino  with  a  red  rose  on  one  sleeve,  a  white 
one  on  the  other.  Let  your  friend  say, 
'Lincoln.'  I  shall  answer,  'America."  But 
do  let  him  be  careful." 

I  said,  "Yes;  I  will  arrange  it." 
[83] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Oh,  thank  you.  Talk  now  of  something 
else." 

I  said,  "Yes,  in  a  moment."  It  occurred 
to  me  that  I  might  use  Merton.  "My  friend 
will  be  in  our  army  uniform,  an  entirely  un 
suspected  man.  How  pretty  those  flowers 
are!" 

I  found  her  charming,  a  widow,  and  if  I 
might  judge  from  her  jewels,  one  at  ease  m 
regard  to  money.  Before  we  left,  after  din 
ner,  I  had  a  few  minutes  more  of  talk  with 
her  in  the  drawing-room.  She  was  free 
from  the  look  of  care  I  had  observed  when 
presented. 

"Good-by,"  I  said,  as  we  parted,  "and 
be  assured  that  you  have  friends." 

"Oh,  thank  you!"  she  murmured.  "But 
I  am  involving  others  in  my  difficulties.  I 
wish  I  had  never  done  it.  Good  night."  I 
went  home,  curious  and  perplexed. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  next  day  I 
went  to  the  rooms  of  our  first  secretary.  In 
[84] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

reply  to  my  request,  he  seid  he  had  two  cards 
for  the  ball  at  my  disposal,  and  would  ar 
range  matters  with  the  master  of  ceremonies. 
I  accepted  one  card  for  Merton,  and  went 
away  well  pleased  and  regretful  that  I  found 
it  better,  as  she  had  done,  to  leave  this  singu 
lar  errand  to  another. 

I  made  haste  to  call  on  Merton,  and  find 
ing  him  in,  related  my  fortunate  meeting 
with  Mme.  Bellegarde,  and  told  him  what 
she  expected  us  to  do.  He  was  much  pleased, 
and  I  happy  in  finding  for  our  purpose  a 
man  whom  no  one  was  likely  to  watch.  I 
urged  him,  however,  to  be  cautious,  and  went 
away,  arranging  that  he  should  call  on  me 
after  the  ball,  even  though  his  visit  might 
be  far  on  in  the  night.  I  was  too  curious 
and  too  anxious  to  wait  longer. 

It  was  after  three  in  the  morning  when  he 
aroused  me  from  the  nap  into  which  I  had 
fallen. 

"By  George!"  he  cried,  "she  is  a  delight- 
[85] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

ful  and  a  brave  woman.  I  told  you  so;  but, 
good  heavens !  she  is  in  a  sad  scrape." 

"Well,  what  is  it?  Has  she  robbed  the 
Bank  of  France?" 

"Worse.  I  told  you  it  was  some  diplo 
matic  tangle.  I  was  right.  It  is  a  big  one." 

"For  Heaven's  sake,  go  on!" 

"She  is  beautiful." 

"Of  course;  I  know  that.  But  what  hap 
pened?" 

"I  said  she  was  beautiful." 

"Yes,  twice,  and  you  have  never  seen  her 
face." 

"No,  but  you  told  me  so.  However,  I 
went  early  and  waited  about  the  door  until 
she  came  in.  I  kept  her  in  sight.  It  was  n't 
easy.  A  half-hour  later  I  got  my  chance. 
She  had  been  left  by  her  last  partner  near 
a  small  picture-gallery,  and  was  chatting 
with  an  old  lady.  I  said,  'It  is  my  dance,  I 
believe.'  She  rose  at  once.  As  we  moved 
away  I  whispered,  'Lincoln,'  and  on  her  re- 
[86] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

plying,  'America,'  she  guided  me  through 
the  gallery  and  at  last  into  a  small  conser 
vatory  and  behind  some  orange-trees.  No 
one  was  near.  'One  moment,'  she  said;  'even 
here  I  am  not  free.'  I  saw  no  evidence  of  her 
being  watched,  but  she  was,  I  fancied,  in  an 
agony  of  apprehension.  As  I  mentioned 
my  name  and  tried  to  reassure  her,  she  let 
fall  her  black  domino  saying,  'Quick,  push 
it  under  that  sofa !'  She  wore  beneath  it  a 
pearl-colored  silk  domino,  and,  of  course, 
was  still  masked." 

"By  George!"  said  I,  "a  woman  of  re 
sources.  How  clever  that  was!" 

Merton  went  on:  "Then  we  sat  down,  I 
saying:  'Be  cool,  and  don't  hurry.  You  are 
entirely  secure.'  She  did  go  on,  and  what  a 
story!  She  said: 

"  'On  .the    night    before    I    involved    Mr 

Greville   in   trouble,   I   went   to   an   evening 

party   at   Count   le   Moyne's.      I   was   never 

there  before,   or  only   to  call  on  the   coun- 

[87] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

tess,  and  at  that  time  talked  a  few  minutes 
with  the  count.  They  have  been  here  hardly 
more  than  a  month.  When  I  arrived  there 
was  a  great  crush  in  the  hall  and  on  the 
stair.  As  I  waited  to  get  rid  of  my  wraps 
the  count  came  through  the  crowd  and  passed 
me.  He  had,  I  suppose,  been  belated  at  the 
Foreign  Office.  He  seemed  to  be  in  haste 
and  went  behind  a  screen  and  into  a  room 
on  the  side  of  the  hall.  A  little  later  the 
music  upstairs  ceased.  I  heard  cries  of  fire. 
People  rushed  down  the  stairway  screaming. 
There  was  a  jam  in  the  hall  and  a  terrible 
crush  at  the  outer  doors.  A  curtain  had 
been  blown  across  a  console  and  taken  fire; 
that  was  all,  but  the  alarm  and  confusion 
were  dreadful.  Women  fainted.  One  or  two 
men  made  brutal  efforts  to  escape.  I  have 
a  temperament  which  leaves  me  pretty  cool 
in  real  danger.  There  was  none  but  what 
the  terror  of  these  people  created.  I  was 
hustled  about  and,  with  others,  driven 
[88] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

against  the  Chinese  screen  which  covered  the 
doorway  of  the  count's  office.  I  said  he  had 
entered  it — yes,  I  told  you  that.  As  the 
alarm  grew,  it  must  have  reached  him,  for 
he  came  out  and  had  to  use  violence  to 
push  the  screen  away  so  as  to  let  him  pass. 
The  tumult  was  at  its  height  as  he  went  by 
me  crying,  'Mon  Dieu!'  He  ran  along  a 
back  passageway  and  disappeared.  There 
were  other  women  near,  but  I  was  so  placed 
as  to  be  able  to  slip  behind  the  screen  he  had 
pushed  away.  I  am  afraid  that  he  recog 
nized  me.  As  I  thus  took  refuge  in  the 
doorway  the  screen  was  crushed  against  it, 
and  I  was  caught.  Of  course  I  was  excited, 
but  I  was  cool  compared  with  the  people 
outside.  I  tried  the  door  behind  me  and 
felt  it  open.  Then  I  saw  that  I  was  in  the 
count's  private  office.  On  the  table  a 
lamp  was  burning.  As  I  was  crossing  the 
room  to  try  a  side-door  entrance  into  the 
garden,  I  caught  sight  of  a  large  paper  en- 
[89] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

velop  on  the  table.  I  could  not  help  seeing 
the  largely  written  inscription.  I  paused. 
In  an  instant  I  realized  that  I  was  in  an 
enemy's  country  and  had  a  quick  sense  of 
anger  as  I  read :  "Foreign  Office.  Confiden 
tial.  Recognition  of  the  Confederate  States. 
Note  remarks  by  his  Majesty  the  Emperor. 
Make  full  digest  at  once.  Haste  required! 
Drouyn  de  Lhuys"  I  stood  still.  For  a 
moment,  believe  me,  I  forgot  the  fire — every 
thing.  I  suppose  the  devil  was  at  my  side.' 

"  <A  good  devil,'  said  I. 

"She  said:  'Oh,  please  not  to  laugh.  It 
was  terrible.  If  you  had  lived  in  France 
these  two  years  you  would  know.  I  have 
been  all  summer  in  the  utmost  distress  about 
my  country.  I  have  been  insulted  and 
mocked  because  of  our  failures.  Women  can 
be  very  cruel.  The  desirability  of  France 
and  England  acknowledging  the  Confeder 
acy  was  almost  daily  matter  of  talk  among 
the  people  I  met.  Here  before  me,  in  my 
[90] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

power,  was  information  sure  to  be  valuable 
to  our  legation — to  my  country.  I  little 
dreamed  of  its  importance.  I  did  not  reflect. 
I  acted  on  impulse.  I  seized  the  big  envelop 
and  drew  my  cloak  around  me.  The  package 
was  bulky  and  heavy.'  : 

"Good  heavens!  Merton,"  said  I,  "She 
stole  it!" 

"Stole  it!  Nonsense!  It  was  war — glor 
ious." 

I  shook  my  head  in  disapproval,  and  had 
at  once  a  vast  longing  to  see  our  worried 
and  anxious  envoys  profit  by  the  beautiful 
thief's  outrageous  robbery. 

Merton  continued:  "I  will  go  on  to  state 
it  as  well  as  I  can  in  her  own  words.  She 
said:  4I  stood  a  moment  in  doubt,  but  the 
noise  in  the  hall  increased.  The  screen  was 
driven  in  fragments  against  the  door.  I 
might  be  caught  at  any  moment.  That 
would  mean  ruin.  I  tried  the  side  door.  It 
was  not  locked,  and  in  a  moment  I  found 
[91] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

myself  outside,  in  the  garden.  I  went 
around  to  the  front  of  the  house,  and  in  a 
minute  or  two  secured  a  cabriolet  and  was 
driven  home.  Then  my  worst  troubles  be 
gan.  I  had  acted  on  impulse.  It  was  wrong. 
I  was  a  thief.  Was  it  not  wrong?  Oh,  I 
know  it  was  wicked!  To  think,  sir,  that  I 
should  have  done  such  a  thing!' 

"When  she  spoke  out  in  this  way,"  said 
Merton,  "I  saw  that  if  we  were  to  help  her, 
it  was  essential  that  we  should  know  whether 
she  was  becoming  irresolute.  To  test  her  I 
said:  'But,  madame,  you  could  have  given 
it  back  to  the  count  next  day.  You  may  be 
sure  he  would  never  have  told;  and  now, 
poor  man,  he  is  in  a  terrible  scrape,  and 
that  unlucky  Foreign  Office!  It  is  not  yet 
too  late.  Why  not  return  the  papers?" 

"For  a   moment   I   felt   ashamed,   because 

even  before  I  made  this  effort  to  see  if  it  was 

worth  while  to  take  the  grave  risks  which  I 

saw  before  us,  I  knew  that  she  was  sobbing." 

[92] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"It  was  worth  while.  But  what,"  I  asked, 
"did  she  say?"  If  Merton  had  said  that 
she  was  weakening,  I  should  have  felt  some 
relief  and  more  disappointment. 

He  asked  in  turn,  "What  do  you  think 
she  said  ?" 

For  my  part,  I  could  only  reply  that  it 
was  a  question  of  character,  but  that  while 
she  might  feel  regret  and  express  her  peni 
tence  in  words,  a  woman  who  had  done  what 
she  had  done  would  never  express  it  in  acts. 

Merton  said,  "Thank  you,"  which  seemed 
to  me  a  rather  odd  reply.  He  rose  as  he 
spoke  and  for  a  moment  walked  about  in 
silence,  and  then  said:  "By  George!  Greville, 
I  felt  as  if  I  had  insulted  her.  You  think  I 
was  right— it  is  quite  a  relief."  He  spoke 
with  an  amount  of  emotion  which  appeared 
to  me  uncalled  for. 

"Yes,  of  course  you  were  right;  but  what 
did  she  say?" 

"  'Say?'  She  said:  'I  am  not  a  child,  sir. 
[93] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

I  did  what  I  know  to  be  wrong.  I  did  it 
for  no  personal  advantage.  I  am  punished 
when  I  think  of  myself  as  a  thief.  I  have 
already  suffered  otherwise.  I  do  not  care. 
I  did  it  for  my  country,  as — as  you  kill  men 
for  it.  I  shall  abide  by  what  I  did  and  may 
God  forgive  me!  But  if  you  are  ashamed — 
if  you  are  shocked — if  you  think — oh,  if 
you  fear  to  assist  me,  you  will  at  least  con 
sider  what  I  have  said  as  a  confidence.'  She 
stood  up  as  she  answered  me,  and  spoke  out 
with  entire  absence  of  care  about  being  over 
heard.  Ah,  but  I  wanted  to  see  that  masked 
face!  I  said  twice  as  she  spoke:  'Be 
careful.  You  mistake  me.'  She  took  not 
the  least  notice  of  my  caution.  Then  at 
last  I  said:  'Pray  sit  down.  It  was — it  is 
clear,  madame,  that  all  concerned  or  who 
may  concern  themselves,  with  this  matter 
must  feel  absolute  security  that  there  will  be 
no  weakness  anywhere.  After  what  you 
have  said,  and  with  entire  trust  in  you,  we 
[94] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

shall  at  all  risks  see  this  thing  through.' 
She  said,  'Thank  you,'  and  did  sit  down. 

"Then  I  went  on :  'I  want  to  ask  you  a 
question  or  two.  Did  the  count  recognize 
you  ?' 

"  'I  was  not  sure  at  the  time,  but  he  must 
have  at  least  suspected  me,  for  he  called  next 
day  at  an  unusually  early  hour,  insisted  on 
seeing  me,  and  frankly  told  me  that  on  the 
night  before,  during  the  fire,  a  document  had 
been  stolen  from  his  table.  He  had  remem 
bered  me  as  near  to  the  office.  Did  I  know 
anything  about  it ?  I  said,  "How  could  I?"  I 
was  dreadfully  scared,  but  I  replied  that  I 
had  certainly  gone  through  his  office  and  had 
left  both  doors  open.  Then  he  said,  "It  is 
too  grave  a  matter  for  equivocation,  and  I 
ask,  Did  you  take  it?"  I  said  I  was  insulted, 
and  upon  this  he  lost  his  temper  and  threat 
ened  all  manner  of  consequences.' 


[95] 


O  cut  it  short,  Greville,  she  refused  to 
be  questioned,  and,  I  fancy,  lied  rather 
more  plainly  than  she  was  willing  to  admit 
to  me.  He  went  away  furious  and  reason 
ably  sure,  or  so  I  think,  that  she  had  the 
papers." 

"I  see,"  said  I.  "He  had  been  careless. 
Of  course,  he  hesitated  for  a  day  or  two  to 
confess  his  loss.  But  what  about  those 
papers?  Where  are  they?  She  ought  to 
have  taken  them  at  once  to  the  legation." 

"Yes,  but  that  is  easily  explained.  The 
count  called  early,  and  after  that  she  felt 
sure  that  she  would  be  promptly  arrested. 
He  was  too  ashamed  to  go  at  once  to  any 
such  length.  He  must  be  an  indecisive  man. 
At  all  events,  he  took  no  positive  action  until 
after  our  encounter  and  her  escape,  when  he 
[96] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

became  still  more  sure  where  she  was  going 
and  why.  You  see,  he  lacked  the  good  sense 
to  confess  instantly  to  the  head  of  his  office. 
Arrest  would  have  been  instantaneous.  He 
waited,  ashamed  to  confess,  and  I  presume 
did  not  fully  inform  the  police  he  called  in. 
Now,  I  suppose,  he  has  had  to  confess  his 
loss  to  his  superiors." 

"But  these  papers?"  said  I. 

"Well,  don't  hurry  me.  When  she  got 
home  that  night  and  read  the  papers  she  had 
— well,  taken,  she  saw  their  enormous  value 
to  our  government.  Their  importance  in 
creased  her  alarm,  and  the  count's  visit  added 
to  her  sense  of  need  to  conceal  somewhere 
the  proofs  of  her  guilt.  After  her  first 
fatal  delay  of  the  next  morning,  she  was 
afraid  to  carry  the  papers  to  the  legation. 
She  could  trust  no  one.  She  believed  the 
Emperor's  minister  would  act  at  once.  She 
knew  that,  soon  or  late,  her  town  house 
would  be  searched.  To  keep  the  papers 
[97] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

about  her  would  not  do.  She  must  hide 
them  at  once,  and  then  we  must  hear  of  them ; 
and  no  letters  would  serve  her  purpose.  She 
was  panic-stricken.  I  fancy  the  count,  hav 
ing  been  careless,  was  as  anxious,  but  told  no 
one  that  day.  This  gave  her  a  chance  until 
luck  played  her  a  trick.  The  count's  inter 
view  in  the  morning,  while  it  frightened  her, 
had  not  helped  him.  The  next  day  his  su 
periors  would  have  to  be  told,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  have  been. 

"Then,  as  you  know,  it  came  his  turn  to 
have  a  bit  of  good  fortune.  Walking  in 
haste  to  escape  a  ducking,  he  must  have 
turned  into  the  Rue  du  Roi  de  Rome  to  get 
a  cab,  and  was  just  in  time  to  see  her  enter 
your  carriage.  Very  likely  he  did  not  see 
you  at  all.  Indeed,  we  may  be  sure  that  he 
did  not.  When,  too,  the  count  saw  that,  in 
place  of  turning  homeward,  she  was  being 
driven  toward  the  Bois,  his  suspicions  were 
at  once  aroused.  I  ought  to  say  that,  to 
[98] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

avoid  using  her  own  carriage,  she  had  set 
out  to  walk.  She  was  not  yet  watched, 
though  she  may  have  thought  she  was,  and 
her  plan  was  a  good  one.  Curious  and 
troubled,  he  caught  a  cabriolet  and  followed, 
as  was  natural  enough. 

"The  direction  of  your  flight  through  the 
Bois  confirmed  his  suspicions.  He  may  have 
guessed,  and  he  was  right,  that  she  was  about 
to  go  to  her  well-known  little  country  house 
and  meant  to  hide  the  papers.  I  am  trying 
to  follow  what  must  have  been  his  course  of 
thought  and  would  have  been  mine.  He 
would  catch  her  and  get  them,  even  at  the 
cost  of  arresting  her.  So  far  this  is  in  part 
her  account  and  in  part  my  inferences.  As 
we  talked  thus  at  length,  she  was  again  in 
describably  uneasy  and  took  every  one  who 
passed  for  a  spy." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "I  do  not  wonder.  The 
court  is  cool  to  us.  Something  hostile  to  our 
country  is  going  on  between  France  and 
[99] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

England.  The  English  abuse  is  exhausting 
their  adjectives.  If  they  propose  interven 
tion  in  any  shape,  Mr.  Adams  has  instruc 
tions  of  which  every  American  should  be 
proud." 

"Good!"  cried  Merton.  "We  have  not 
put  forth  our  power,  and  people  over  here 
do  not  dream  of  the  way  in  which  we  could 
and  would  rise  to  meet  new  foes.  But  here 
is  our  own  little  battle.  I  have  yet  to  tell 
you  what  she  did  and  my  further  reflections. 
After  you  got  her  away  from  the  count,  and 
Alphonse  guided  her,  she  walked  through 
the  rain  in  the  darkness  to  her  small  chalet 
beyond  the  Bois. 

"But,"  said  I,  "why  did  not  the  count 
follow  and  get  there,  as  he  could  have  done, 
before  her?" 

"I  do  not  know.  He  was,  you  said,  a  bit 
dazed  and  his  head  cut.  Probably  he  felt 
it  to  be  needful  to  secure  aid  from  the  police, 
as  he  did  later." 

[100] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure     ,;  ij>',  i 

"Yes,  that  must  have  been  the  case." 
"Her  old  American  nurse  has  charge  of 
the  chalet.  At  times  madame  spends  a  few 
days  there.  She  explained  her  condition  as 
the  result  of  a  carriage  accident,  and,  I 
fancy,  must  have  taken  her  nurse  into  her 
confidence.  She  did  not  tell  me.  A  fire  was 
made  in  her  boudoir,  and,  with  some  change 
of  dress,  she  sat  down  to  think.  She  knew 
that,  soon  or  late,  the  count  must  confess 
his  loss,  and  then  that  the  whole  police  force 
of  Paris  would  concentrate  its  skill  first  on 
preventing  her  from  using  the  papers,  and 
finally  on  securing  them.  They  would  at 
once  suspect  that  she  had  made  her  singular 
dash  for  the  chalet  to  conceal  the  papers,  as 
the  count  must  have  inferred.  She  was  one 
woman  against  the  power,  intelligence,  and 
limitless  resources  of  an  army.  If  the  count 
acted  with  reasonable  promptness,  the  time 
left  her  to  hide  the  papers  was  likely  to  be 
short. 

[101] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"She  had  adopted  and  dropped  one  plan 
after  another  as  she  walked  through  the 
night.  Then,  as  she  sat  in  despair,  she  had 
an  inspiration.  The  fireplace  was  kept, 
after  the  common  American  way,  full  of  un- 
removed  wood  ashes.  It  suggested  a  re 
source.  To  lessen  the  size  of  the  package 
she  hastily  removed  the  many  envelops  of  the 
contained  papers  and  also  the  thick  double 
outside  cover.  Then  she  tied  them  together, 
raked  away  the  newly  made  fire,  and  setting 
the  lessened  package  on  the  hearth,  far  back, 
piled  the  cold  ashes  over  it.  It  was  safe 
from  combustion.  Finally,  she  replaced  the 
cinders  and  set  on  top  some  burning  twigs 
and  a  small  log  or  two.  The  fire  was  soon 
burning  brightly.  For  a  few  minutes  she 
sat  thinking  that  she  must  burn  the  envel 
ops.  It  was  now  late.  The  gate-bell  rang. 
Three  hours  had  gone  by  since  she  left  the 
count.  In  great  haste  she  tore  up  the  thick 
outside  envelops  and  other  covers  and  has- 
[102] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

tily  scattered  them  on  the  flames.  She 
did  succeed  in  burning  the  larger  part  of  the 
covers,  and  only  by  accident,  or  rather  by 
reason  of  her  haste,  was,  as  I  shall  tell  you, 
lucky  enough  to  leave  unburned  a  bit  of  the 
outer  cover.  However,  she  piled  on  more 
twigs,  and  had  settled  herself  by  the  fire 
when  her  nurse  entered  in  company  with  a 
man  in  civilian  dress  and  two  of  the  police. 
They  used  little  ceremony  and  said  simply 
that  she  was  believed  to  have  certain  papers. 
Best  to  give  them  up  and  save  trouble.  Of 
course,  she  denied  the  charge  and  was  in 
dignant.  Then  they  made  a  very  complete 
search,  after  which  two  of  them  remained 
with  her,  and  the  other,  leaving,  came  back 
in  an  hour  with  a  woman  who  went  with  her 
to  her  room  and  there  made  a  very  rigorous 
personal  search  of  her  own  and  her  nurse's 
garments.  She,  of  course,  protested  vig 
orously.  At  last,  returning  to  her  boudoir, 
she  found  the  man  in  civilian  dress  kneel- 
[103] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

ing  beside  the  fire.  She  was  in  an  agony  of 
alarm.  The  man  had  gathered  the  frag 
ments  of  half-burned  paper,  and  when  she 
entered  was  staring  at  the  unconsumed  corner 
of  the  outer  official  envelop.  Without  a 
word,  he  raked  away  the  fire  and  a  part  of 
the  ashes,  but  seeing  there  no  evidence  of 
interest,  contented  himself  with  what  proof 
he  had  of  the  destruction  of  the  documents 
he  sought.  The  appearance  of  much  burned 
paper  and  the  brightly  blazing  fire,  I  sup 
pose,  helped  to  confirm  his  belief.  To  her 
angry  protests  he  replied  civilly  that  it  was 
a  matter  for  his  superiors.  Finally,  an  offi 
cer  was  left  in  charge,  but  she  was  allowed 
to  send  for  a  carriage  and  to  return  home. 
It  is  clear  that  they  are  not  satisfied,  and 
the  house  has  been  watched  ever  since.  Of 
course,  the  man  who  found  the  charred  frag 
ments  of  the  official  envelop  concluded  that 
she  had  burned  the  contents.  But  some  one 
else  who  knows  their  value  will  doubt." 
[104] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"I  suppose  so.  They  were  less  clever  than 
usual." 

"No ;  her  haste  saved  her.  The  unburned 
corner  of  the  envelop  fooled  the  man.  How 
could  he  dream  that  under  a  hot  fire,  cool 
and  safe,  were  papers  worth  a  fortune?" 

"Certainly  this  time  the  luck  is  hers," 
said  I ;  "but  this  will  not  satisfy  them." 

"No.  More  than  once  since  they  have 
been  over  the  house  and  garden  and  utterly 
devastated  it,  so  says  her  nurse.  They 
searched  a  tool-house  and  a  small  conserva 
tory.  Madame  Bellegarde  has  been  cool 
enough  to  go  there  for  flowers,  but  is  in  the 
utmost  apprehension.  And  now  ten  days 
have  passed." 

"Is  that  all?" 

"No.  She  has  been  questioned  pretty  bru 
tally  over  and  over,  but  as  yet  they  have  not 
searched  her  town  house.  They  are  sure 
that  the  papers  are  in  the  villa." 

"Well,  what  next?"  I  asked. 
[105] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"She  says  we  must  get  those  papers. 
That  is  our  business." 

"It  will  be  difficult,"  I  returned;  "and 
there  should  be  no  delay.  It  must  be  done, 
and  done  soon.  You  or  I  would  have  found 
her  cache." 

"No,  I  should  not;  but  if  those  people 
are  still  in  doubt,  as  seems  to  be  the  case, 
and  decide  that  no  one  but  a  fool  would  have 
burned  the  documents,  some  fellow  with  a 
little  more  imaginative  capacity  to  put  him 
self  in  her  place  will  find  them." 

"By  the  way,"  added  Merton,  "she  de 
scribed  the  house  to  me.  Now  let  us  think  it 
over.  I  shall  be  here  at  nine  to-morrow 
morning.  When  I  return,  you  will  give  me 
your  own  thoughts  about  it.  Given  a  house 
already  watched  day  and  night,  how  to  get 
a  paper  out  of  it?  No  one  will  be  allowed  to 
leave  it  without  being  overhauled.  The  old 
nurse,  you  may  be  sure,  will  be  searched  and 
followed,  even  when  she  goes  to  market.  To 
[  106  ] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

communicate  with  madame  would  not  be 
easy,  and  would  give  us  no  further  help  and 
only  hurt  her.  It  is  so  grave  a  matter  that 
the  police,  after  another  search,  will  arrest 
Mme.  Bellegarde  secretly  and,  if  possible, 
scare  her  into  confession.  We  have  no  time 
to  lose.  It  must  be  done,  too,  in  some  simple 
way.  For  her  sake  we  must  avoid  violence, 
and  whatever  is  done  must  be  done  by  us." 

"But,  Merton,  how  can  we  get  into  the 
house,  even  if  we  enter  the  garden  unseen?" 

"Oh,  I  forgot  to  say  that  she  has  said  she 
would  contrive  to  tell  her  nurse  to  leave  the 
conservatory  unlocked,  and  also  the  door  be 
tween  it  and  the  house.  I  told  you  she  has 
been  there  twice.  On  each  occasion  she  was 
watched,  but  was  allowed  to  enter  and  pick 
flowers.  She  feels  sure  of  being  able  to  warn 
the  nurse.  We  must  give  her  a  day.  But 
why  do  they  not  arrest  her?  That  would 
have  been  my  first  move." 

I  replied:  "Her  late  husband's  people  are 
[107] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

Bonapartists  and  very  influential.  It  would 
have  to  be  explained,  and  the  situation  is  an 
awkward  one.  The  mere  destruction  of  the 
papers  is  not  what  they  most  desire;  neither 
do  they  want  the  loss  known,  and  very  likely 
they  desire  to  conceal  it  as  long  as  possible 
from  the  Emperor.  I  have  been  unable  to 
think  of  any  plan.  Has  the  night  left  you 
any  wiser?" 

"I?  Yes,  indeed.  I  have  a  plan — a  good 
one  and  simple.  When  I  was  a  boy  and  cov 
eted  apples,  one  fellow  got  over  the  fence 
and  attracted  the  attention  of  the  farmer, 
while  the  other  secured  apples  in  a  far 
corner  of  the  orchard.  Don't  you  see?" 

"No,  I  do  not." 

"Well,  it  is  simple.  Just  see  how  easy  it 
is.  We  attract  the  attention  of  the  guards, 
and  then  one  of  us  goes  into  the  house." 

"But,"  said  I,  "if  he  meets  there  a  reso 
lute  guard." 

"And  if,"  said  Merton,  "the  guard  is  met 
[108] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

by  a  more  resolute  man,  let  us  say,  with  a 
revolver." 

"Merton,  it  is  a  thing  to  be  done  without 
violence." 

"Or  not  at  all?"  queried  Merton,  with 
what  I  may  call  an  examining  glance. 

"No,  I  did  not  say  that." 

The  captain,  I  suppose,  understood  my 
state  of  mind,  for  he  said :  "I  feel  as  you  do. 
You  are  quite  right;  but  if  it  becomes  need 
ful  to  use  positive  means, — I  say  positive 
means  to  get  these  papers, — then — "  I 
shook  my  head  and  he  went  on,  "You  may 
rest  assured  that  I  shall  use  no  violence  un 
less  I  am  obliged  to  do  so." 

"You  will  have  no  chance,"  said  I,  "be 
cause  I,  as  a  member  of  the  legation,  must 
be  the  one  to  enter  the  house.  No  one  else 
should.  You  may  readily  see  why." 

Merton  was  disappointed,  and  in  fact  said 
so,  while  admitting  that  I  was  in  the  right. 
He  looked  grave  as  he  added :  "We  are  play- 
[109] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

ing  a  game,  you  and  I,  in  which,  quite  pos 
sibly,  the  fate  of  our  country  is  involved, 
and,  also,  the  character  and  fate  of  a  woman. 
If  we  win,  no  one  can  convict  her  of  having 
taken  these  papers.  On  their  side  there  will 
be  no  hesitation.  There  should  be  none  on 
ours." 

I  said  nothing  to  relieve  his  evident  doubt 
as  to  the  spirit  with  which  I  had  under 
taken  a  perilous  venture.  I,  on  my  part, 
simply  insisted  that  the  larger  risk  must  be 
mine.  He  finally  assented  with  a  laugh,  say 
ing  he  was  sorry  to  miss  the  fun  of  it. 
After  some  careful  consideration  of  his  plan 
and  of  our  respective  shares  in  carrying  it 
out,  he  went  away,  leaving  me  to  my  reflec 
tions.  They  would,  I  presume,  have  amused 
and  surprised  the  man  who  had  just  left  me. 
I  had  led  a  quiet,  studious  life,  and  never 
once  had  I  been  where  it  was  requisite  to 
face  great  danger  or  possible  death.  I  had 
often  wondered  whether  I  possessed  the  form 
[110] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

of  courage  which  makes  certain  men  more 
competent,  the  greater  the  peril.  As  I  sat  I 
confessed  to  myself  an  entire  absence  of  the 
joy  in  risks  with  which  Merton  faced  our 
venture,  but  at  the  same  time  I  knew  that  I 
was  not  sorry  for  a  chance  to  satisfy  my 
self  in  regard  to  an  untested  side  of  my 
own  character.  I  knew,  too,  that  I  should 
be  afraid,  but  would  that  lessen  my  compe 
tence?  I  had  a  keen  interest  in  the  matter, 
and  was  well  aware  that  there  was  very  real 
danger  and  possible  disgrace  if  we  were 
caught  in  a  position  which  we  could  not  af 
ford  to  explain. 


[mi 


XI 

ON  the  following  morning  I  was  at 
breakfast,  when  Alphonse  said  to  me: 
"I  made  last  night  sir,  pretense  of  follow 
ing  monsieur,  and  discovered  that  another 
man  was  doing  the  same  thing.  Circum 
stances  permitted  me  to  observe  that  he  was 
stupid,  but  monsieur  will  perceive  that  either 
I  am  mistrusted  by  the  police,  or  that  the 
affair  of  madame  is  growing  more  difficult 
and  has  so  far  baffled  the  detectives.  The 
count  must  have  mentioned  your  name  to 
them."  There  he  paused  and  busied  him 
self  with  the  coffee-urn,  and,  for  my  part,  I 
sat  still,  wondering  whether  I  had  not  better 
be  more  entirely  frank  with  this  unusual 
valet.  He  knew  enough  to  be  very  danger 
ous,  and  now  stood  at  ease,  evidently  ex 
pecting  some  comment  on  my  part.  I  had 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

asked  Merton  to  breakfast,  and  a  half -hour 
later  he  came  in,  apologizing  and  laughing. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "I  am  late.  I  had  Lieu 
tenant  West  to  see  me,  and,  to  my  grief, 
Aramis  is  out  of  it  and  has  explained,  and 
so  on ;  but  Porthos  is  inexorable.  I  said  at 
last  I  was  so  tired  of  them  all  that  I  should 
accept  rapiers  if  the  big  man  would  give  me 
time.  The  fact  is,  we  must  first  dispose  of 
this  other  business.  A  wound,  or  what  not, 
might  cripple  me.  I  am  not  a  bad  hand 
with  the  sword,  and  I  take  lessons  twice  a 
day.  But  now  about  the  other  affair.  This 
duel  is  a  trifle  to  it." 

Alphonse  had  meanwhile  gone,  at  a  word 
from  me,  and  I  was  free  to  open  my  mind  to 
Merton.  He  did  not  hesitate  a  moment. 
"Call  him  back,"  he  said,  "and  let  me  talk  to 
him." 

Alphonse  reappeared. 

"I  gave  you  three  hundred  francs,"  said 
Merton. 

[113] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Yes,  monsieur." 

"Where  is  it?" 

"My  mother  has  it." 

"Very  good.     Are  you  for  the  emperor?" 

The  man's  face  changed.  "M.  le  Capi- 
taine  knows  that  a  man  must  live.  I  was  of 
the  police,  but  my  father  was  shot  in  the 
coup  d'etat.  I  am  a  republican." 

"If  so,"  said  Merton,  "for  what  amount 
would  you  sell  your  republican  body  and 
soul?" 

"As  to  my  body,  monsieur,  that  is  for  sale 
cheap." 

"And  souls  are  not  dear  in  France,"  said 
Merton. 

"Yes,  monsieur;  but  the  price  varies." 

"What  would  you  say  to — well,  a  thou 
sand  francs  down  and  a  thousand  in  three 
months  ?" 

"If   monsieur   would   explain." 

I  did  not  dislike  his  caution,  but  I  still 
had  a  residue  of  doubt  as  to  the  man  who 
[114] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

was  serving  two  masters.  Merton  had  none. 
He  went  on: 

"We  mean  to  be  plain  with  you.  We  are 
caught  in  the  net  of  a  big  and  dangerous 
business." 

"I  had  thought  as  much,"  said  Alphonse. 
"Would  M.  le  Capitaine  explain?  No 
doubt  there  are  circumstances — J! 

"Precisely.  A  woman  has  done  what 
makes  it  necessary  for  us  to  recover  a  certain 
document  despite  the  police  and  the  govern 
ment.  Understand  that  if  we  succeed  you 
get  two  thousand  francs  and  run  meanwhile 
risks  of  a  very  serious  nature." 

"And  my  master?" 

"Oh,  he  may  lose  his  position.  You  and 
I  and  madame  may  be  worse  off." 

"As  to  my  position,"  I  said,  "leave  me  out 
of  the  question.  We  shall  all  take  risks." 

"Then  I  accept,"  said  Alphonse.  "Mon 
sieur  has  been  most  kind  to  my  mother,  and 
circumstances  have  always  attracted  me — 
[115] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

monsieur  will  understand.  What  am  I  to 
do?" 

"You  are  to  examine  the  outside  of 
Madame  Bellegarde's  villa  by  day  and  at 
night — to-night — and  report  to  us  to-mor 
row  morning.  I  have  a  scheme  for  enter 
ing  it  and  securing  the  document  we  want, 
but  of  that  we  will  speak  when  we  hear  your 
report.  I  have  already  ridden  around  the 
place.  I  am  trusting  you  entirely." 

"No,  monsieur,  not  quite  entirely,"  said 
Alphonse,  smiling. 

Merton  understood  this  queer  fellow  as  I 
did  not,  for,  as  I  sat  wondering  what  he 
meant,  my  friend  said  quietly:  "No  we  have 
not  told  you  where  the  papers  are  concealed 
nor  what  they  are.  And  you  want  to  know?" 

A  sudden  panic  seemed  to  fall  on  the  valet. 

He    winked    rapidly,    looked    to    right    and 

left,  and  then  cried  in  a  decisive  way,  with 

open   hands   upraised    as   if   to   push    away 

[116] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

something:  "No,  monsieur,  no.  Circum 
stances  make  it  not  to  be  desired." 

From  that  moment  I  trusted  the  man. 
"Is  that  all,  monsieur?"  he  said. 

"No.  I  do  not  want  you  to  act  without 
knowing  that  we,  all  of  us,  are  about  to  un 
dertake  what  is  against  the  law  and  may 
bring  death  or,  to  you  at  least,  the  galleys." 

"I  accept."  He  said  it  very  quietly. 
"What  other  directions  has  monsieur,  or  am 
I  merely  to  report  about  the  house  and  the 
guards?  It  is  easy." 

"Yes,  that  is  all  at  present.  The  danger 
comes  later.  Let  us  hear  at  nine  to-morrow 
morning." 

His  report  at  that  time  was  clear  and  not 
very  reassuring.  There  were  guards  at  or 
near  the  gateway.  At  night  a  patrol  moved 
at  times  around  the  outside.  He  saw  a  man 
enter  the  garden  and  remain  within.  He 
could  not  say  whether  there  was  another  one 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

in  the  house.  It  was  likely.  Madame  Belle- 
garde  had  driven  to  the  villa.  She  had  been 
allowed  to  enter,  and  came  out  with  a  basket 
of  flowers.  As  no  one  went  in  with  her,  it 
was  pretty  sure  that  they  trusted  some  one 
within  to  watch  her. 

Merton  said:  "And  now,  Alphonse,  have 
you  any  plan,  any  means  by  which  we  can 
enter  that  house  at  night  and  get  away  safe 
without  violent  methods?" 

"If  there  was  no  one  within." 

"But  we  do  not  know,  and  that  we  must 
risk." 

"It  would  be  necessary,"  said  Alphonse, 
"to  get  the  police  away  from  the  gate  for 
a  time,  and,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  their 
orders  will  be  capture,  dead  or  alive.  They 
believe  your  papers  are  still  hidden  in  that 
house  and  that  an  effort  may  be  made  to  se 
cure  them.  You  observe,  monsieur,  that  all 
this  care  would  never  be  taken  in  an  ordi 
nary  case.  If  monsieur  proposes  to  enter  the 
[118] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

house   and    take    away    certain    papers,    the 
guard  may  resist,  and  in  that  case— 

"In  that  case,"  laughed  Merton,  "circum 
stances — " 

"Monsieur  does  not  desire  me  to  enter  the 
house." 

I  said  promptly  that  we  did  not.  Alphonse 
seemed  relieved,  and  Merton  went  on  to  state 
with  care  his  own  plan.  Alphonse  listened 
with  the  joy  of  an  expert,  adding  sugges 
tions  and  twice  making  very  good  comments 
on  our  arrangements.  It  would  be  neces 
sary  he  thought,  to  wait  for  a  stormy  night, 
but  already  it  was  overclouded. 

Alphonse  went  away  to  see  his  mother  and 
to  make  his  own  preparations  for  the  share 
assigned  to  him  in  an  adventure  to  which  I 
looked  forward  with  keen  interest  and  with 
small  satisfaction. 

Not  so  Merton.  When  the  valet  left  us, 
the  captain  said:  "We  are  utterly  in  the 
hands  of  that  man." 

[119] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Yes,"  I  returned  thoughtfully. 

"If  he  knew,"  said  Merton,  "he  might—" 

"No.  That  he  did  not  want  to  know  what 
these  papers  are  was  an  expression  of  his 
own  doubt  concerning  the  extent  to  which  he 
might  trust  himself.  I  think  we  must  trust 
him." 

"Yes,"  returned  the  captain.  "Whether 
or  not  we  have  been  wise  to  use  him,  I  rather 
doubted,  but  now  I  do  not.  The  limitations 
of  the  moral  code  of  a  man  like  Alphonse 
are  strange  enough.  It  is  hard  to  guess  be 
forehand  what  he  will  do  and  what  he  will 
not.  However,  we  are  in  for  it.  You  have 
a  revolver?" 

"No." 

"I  will  lend  you  mine." 

I  said  I  should  be  glad  to  borrow  it,  but 
I  may  say  that  I  took  care,  before  we  set 
out,  to  see  that  the  barrels  were  not  loaded. 
I  might  use  it  to  threaten,  but  was  resolute 
not  to  fire  on  any  one,  even  if  not  to  do  so 

[  120  ] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

involved  failure  of  our  purpose.     I,  too,  had 
my  moral  limitations. 

We  lost  a  day,  but  on  the  following  night 
there  was  such  a  storm  as  satisfied  us  to  the 
full. 


[121] 


XII 

ABOUT  eight  o'clock  we  drove  to  a  little 
-*- -^-  restaurant  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne, 
dined  quietly,  and  about  nine  set  out  on  foot 
to  walk  to  the  villa.  There  was  a  brief  lull  in 
the  storm,  but  very  soon  the  rain  fell  again 
heavily,  and  as,  of  course,  we  took  no  um 
brellas,  we  were  soon  wet  to  the  skin. 

Making  sure  that  we  were  not  followed, 
we  approached  the  garden  cautiously 
through  the  wood,  the  rain  falling  in  tor 
rents.  At  the  edge  of  the  forest,  near  a 
well  known  fountain,  beyond  the  house,  we 
met  by  appointment  my  man,  Alphonse.  He 
was  dressed  as  an  old  woman  and  had  an 
empty  basket  on  his  arm.  Together  we 
moved  through  the  wood  and  shrubbery  un 
til  we  were  opposite  the  side  of  the  garden 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

and  about   a  hundred   feet   from  where   the 
wall  turned  at  a  right  angle. 

Here,  facing  an  avenue,  the  wall  was 
broken  midway  by  the  arch  of  the  entrance 
gateway.  The  wind  blew  toward  us,  and 
we  could  hear  now  and  then  the  sound  of 
voices. 

Alphonse  said:  "Two;  there  are  two  at 
the  gate." 

"Hush,"  said  I,  as  a  man  came  around 
the  angle  and  along  the  narrow  way  be 
tween  us  and  the  garden  wall. 

"Wait,  monsieur;  he  will  come  again." 
In  some  ten  minutes  he  reappeared,  as  be 
fore. 

"Now,"  said  Merton,  and  in  a  pour  of 
wildly  driven  rain  Alphonse  disappeared. 
He  found  his  way  through  the  wood  and  in 
to  the  main  avenue,  which  in  front  of  the 
gate  turned  to  the  left  and  passed  around 
the  farther  side  of  the  grounds.  Then 
he  walked  up  to  the  gate.  Before  long  we 
[123] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

heard  words  of  complaint.  Would  the 
guards  tell  her —  This  was  all  gleefully  re 
lated  afterward.  She  had  lost  her  way. 
Yes,  a  little  glass  of  absinthe — only  one. 
She  was  not  used  to  it.  And  she  had  the 
money  for  her  market  sales,  and  alas!  so 
she  was  all  wrong  and  must  go  back.  The 
guards  laughed.  No  doubt  it  was  the  ab 
sinthe.  The  old  woman  was  reeling  now  and 
then.  Would  n't  one  of  them  show  her  the 
way?  No.  And  was  it  down  the  avenue? 
Yes.  With  this  she  set  off  unsteadily  along 
the  road  to  the  left.  They  called  out  that  it 
was  the  wrong  way,  and  then,  laughing,  dis 
missed  her. 

When  once  around  the  remote  angle  of 
the  wall,  Alphonse  slipped  aside  into  the 
forest,  got  rid  of  gown  and  basket,  and 
moving  through  the  wood,  took  up  his  sta 
tion  on  the  side  of  the  main  avenue  of  ap 
proach  to  the  villa,  and  out  of  sight  of  the 
guards.  Here  he  waited  until  a  few  minutes 
later  he  was  joined  by  the  captain. 
[124] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

Meanwhile  I  stood  in  the  wood  with  Mer- 
ton.  I  think  he  enjoyed  it.  I  did  not.  A 
first  attempt  at  burglary  is  not  in  all  its  as 
pects  heroic,  and  I  was  wet,  chilled,  and  anx 
ious. 

"First  actor  on,"  murmured  Merton. 
"Should  like  to  have  seen  that  interview. 
Can't  be  actor  and  audience  both." 

I  hazily  reflected  that  for  myself  I  was 
botK,  and  that  the  actor  had  just  then  a 
sharp  fit  of  stage-scare.  I  let  him  run  on 
unanswered,  while  the  rain  poured  down  my 
back. 

At  last  he  said :  "I  think  Alphonse  has  had 
time  enough." 

"Hardly,"  said  I.  I  did  not  want  to  talk. 
I  was  longing  to  do  something — to  begin. 
The  punctual  guard  went  by  twenty  feet 
away,  the  smoke  of  his  pipe  blown  toward 
us. 

"I  never  liked  pipe-smoking  on  the  picket- 
line,"  said  Merton.  "You  can  smell  it  of  a 
damp  night  at  any  distance.  Remind  me  to 
[125] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

tell  you  a  story  about  it.  Heavens!"  he 
cried,  as  a  flash  of  lighting  for  an  instant 
set  everything  in  noon-day  clearness,  "I 
hope  we  shall  not  have  much  of  that.  Keep 
down,  Greville.  Ever  steal  apples?  Strike 
that  repeater."  I  did  so.  "It's  a  good  deal 
like  waiting  for  the  word  to  charge.  I  re 
member  that  once  we  labeled  ourselves  for 
recognition  in  case  we  did  not  come  out 
alive.  Just  after  that  I  fell  ill." 

"Hush!"    I   said.      "There   he   is    again." 
"All    right;    give    him    a    moment,"    said 
Merton,  "and  now  you  have  a  full  half-hour. 
Come." 

We  crossed  the  narrow  road  and  stood  be 
low  the  garden  wall.  He  gave  me  the  aid 
of  his  bent  knee  and  then  his  shoulder,  and 
I  was  at  once  lying  flat  on  the  garden  wall. 
My  repeater  rang  10:15,  and  then,  as  I  lay, 
I  heard  voices.  This  time  there  were  two  men. 
They  paused  on  the  road  just  below  me  to 
light  cigarettes.  One  of  them  consigned  the 
[126] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

weather  to  a  place  where  it  might  have  proved 
more  agreeable.  The  other  said  Jean  had  a 
pleasanter  station  in  the  house.  This  was 
not  very  reassuring  news,  but  I  was  in  for  it 
and  wildly  eager  to  be  through  with  a  peril 
ous  adventure. 

As  they  disappeared,  I  dropped  from  the 
wall  into  the  garden  and  fell  with  an  alarm 
ing  crash,  rolling  over  on  a  pile  of  flower 
pots.  There  was  such  a  clatter  as  on  any 
quiet  night  must  have  been  surely  heard. 
For  a  moment  I  lay  still,  and  then,  hearing 
no  signals  of  alarm,  I  rose  and  groped  along 
the  wall  to  the  door  of  the  conservatory.  It 
was  not  locked.  Pausing  on  the  step  out 
side  for  a  moment,  I  took  off  my  shoes  and 
secured  them  by  tying  them  to  a  belt  I  wore 
for  this  purpose.  Then  I  went  in.  I  found 
the  door  of  the  house  ajar,  and  entering, 
knew  that  I  was  in  the  drawing-room.  I 
moved  with  care,  in  the  gloom,  through  the 
furniture,  and,  aided  by  a  flash  of  light- 
[127] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

ning,  found  my  way  into  the  hall.  Before 
me,  to  left,  across  the  hall,  was  a  small  room. 
The  door  was  open.  I  smelled  very  vile  pipe- 
smoke  and  heard  footfalls  overhead,  but 
no  sound  of  voices.  I  became  at  once  hope 
ful  that  I  should  have  to  deal  with  but  one 
man.  I  opened  cautiously  a  window  in  the 
little  room  and  sat  down  to  listen  and  wait. 
I  had  been  given  a  half-hour.  My  repeater 
at  last  struck  10:45.  Meanwhile  the  clouds 
broke  in  places,  and  there  were  now  gleams 
of  unwelcome  moonlight  and  now  gusts  of 
wind-driven  rain. 

I  rose  and  shut  to  a  crack  the  door  of  the 
room  and  waited.  Beyond  the  wall,  to  my 
right,  I  heard  of  a  sudden  a  wild  shriek  of 
"Murder !  murder !  Help !  help !"  shrill,  fem 
inine,  convincing.  Then  came  a  pistol-shot, 
then  another,  and  in  a  moment  a  third  more 
remote,  and,  far  away,  the  cries  of  men. 

My  time  had  come.  That  the  gate  guards 
would  make  for  the  direction  of  the  sound 
[128] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

we  had  felt  sure,  but  what  would  happen  in 
regard  to  the  house  guard  was  left  to  chance. 
At  all  events,  he  would  be  isolated  for  a  time. 
To  my  relief,  the  ruse  answered.  I  shut 
the  window  noiselessly  as  I  heard  my  host 
running  down  the  stairway. 

He  opened  the  hall  door  in  haste  and  was 
dimly  seen  from  my  window  hurrying  to 
ward  the  gate.  I  rushed  into  the  hall,  bolted 
the  hall  door,  and  ran  up-stairs.  The  old 
nurse  had  been  prepared  for  my  coming  and 
met  me  on  the  first  landing. 

"Quick,"  I  said.  "You  expected  me. 
The  boudoir."  She  had  her  good  Yankee 
wits  about  her,  and  in  a  minute  I  was  kneel 
ing,  wildly  anxious,  and  groping  in  the 
ashes.  Thrusting  the  package  of  paper 
within  my  shirt-bosom,  I  ran  down-stairs, 
and  as  she  came  after,  I  cried  that  I  had 
locked  the  hall  door,  and  to  unlock  it  when 
I  was  gone.  "Be  quick,"  I  added,  "and  lock 
the  conservatory  door  behind  me.  No  one 
[129] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

has  been  seen  by  you.  Go  to  your  own 
room."  Pausing  to  put  on  my  shoes,  I  fled 
across  the  garden,  neither  hearing  nor  see 
ing  the  guard  who  must  have  joined  his  fel 
lows  outside. 


[130] 


XIII 

I  HAD  an  awful  five  minutes  in  my  efforts 
to  climb  the  wall.  We  had  forgotten  that. 
For  a  minute  I  was  in  despair,  and  then  I 
fell  over  a  garden  chair.  I  dragged  it  to 
the  wall  and  somehow  scrambled  up,  and, 
panting,  lay  still  for  a  moment,  listening. 
I  suppose  that,  becoming  suspicious,  they 
had  returned,  for  two  of  the  men  passed  by 
below  me,  talking  fast,  and  if  they  had 
been  less  busy  over  the  pistol-shots  and  had 
merely  looked  up  from  a  few  feet  away,  I 
should  have  been  caught.  I  waited,  breath 
ing,  hard  A  few  minutes  passed.  They  seemed 
to  be  hours.  The  noises  ceased.  I  saw  dimly 
through  the  torrents  of  rain  my  house  guard 
returning  to  his  post.  He  went  in,  and  at 
[131] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

once  I  turned  over,  dropped,  and  in  a  moment 
was  deep  in  the  wood.  I  was  drenched  and 
as  tired  of  a  sudden  as  if  I  had  walked  all 
day.  I  suppose  it  was  due  to  the  intense 
anxiety  and  excitement  of  my  adventure.  I 
went  on  for  a  half-mile,  keeping  my  hand 
on  the  package.  It  was  now  after  eleven, 
and  I  sat  down  in  the  wood  and  rested  for  a 
while.  I  knew  Paris  well.  I  had  been  there 
two  years.  I  walked  on  for  nearly  an  hour, 
and  then  within  one  of  the  barriers,  remote 
from  the  Bois,  I  caught  a  cab  and  drove  to 
the  Rue  Rivoli,  where  I  left  the  man  and 
walked  to  our  legation  in  the  Rue  de  Pres- 
bourg.  We  kept  there  a  night-watchman, 
and  both  he  and  the  concierge  must  have 
been  amazed  at  my  appearance.  I  went  up 
to  my  own  room,  had  a  roaring  fire  kindled, 
locked  the  door,  found  a  smoking-jacket, 
and  then,  with  a  glass  of  good  rye  and  a 
cigar,  sat  down,  feeling  a  delightful  sense  of 
joy  and  security.  Next  I  turned  to  exam- 
[132] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

ine  the  value  of  my  prize.  The  ashes  fell 
about  as  I  laid  the  packet  on  the  table. 

I  was  by  degrees  becoming  warm,  and  al 
though  wet,  for  I  had  had  no  complete 
change  of  garments,  I  was  so  elated  that  I 
hardly  gave  a  thought  to  my  condition. 
As  I  sat,  the  unopened  papers  before  me,  I 
began  to  consider,  as  others  have  done,  the 
ethical  aspects  of  the  matter.  A  woman 
had  stolen  the  documents  now  on  the  table. 
To  have  returned  them  would  have  convicted 
her.  We  were  on  the  verge  of  war  with  two 
great  nations.  One  of  them  had  us  in  a  net 
of  spies.  War,  which  changes  all  moral  ob 
ligations,  was  almost  on  us.  I  would  leave 
it  to  my  chief.  No  more  scrupulous  gentle 
man  was  ever  known  to  me.  I  undid  the 
knotted  ribbon  with  which  Madame  Belle- 
garde  had  hastily  tied  the  papers  together 
and  turned  to  consider  them. 

My  own  doubts  did,  I  fear,  weaken  as, 
turning  over  the  documents,  I  saw  revealed 
[133] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

the  secrets  of  my  country's  enemies.  In  the 
crisis  we  were  facing  they  were  of  inestim 
able  value.  Some  of  the  papers  were  origi 
nal  letters;  others  were  copies  of  letters  from 
the  French  embassy  in  London.  Among 
them  was  a  draft  of  a  letter  of  Drouyn  de 
Lhuys,  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs, 
and  on  this  and  on  others  were  sharp  com 
ments  in  the  emperor's  well-known  hand, 
giving  reasons  for  acknowledging  the  Con 
federacy  without  delay.  There  were  even 
hints  at  intervention  by  the  European 
powers  as  desirable.  I  sat  amazed  as  at  last 
I  tied  up  the  papers,  and  placing  them  again 
within  my  waistcoat,  lay  down  on  a  lounge 
before  the  fire  to  rest,  for  sleep  was  not  for 
me.  I  lay  quiet,  thinking  of  what  had  be 
come  of  Merton  and  Alphonse,  and  wonder 
ing  at  the  amazing  good  fortune  of  my 
first  attempt  at  burglary. 


XIV 

A1  seven  in  the  morning  I  sent  a  guarded 
note  to  our  chief,  and  at  eight  he  ap 
peared.  I  need  not  dwell  upon  his  surprise  as 
he  listened  to  the  full  relation  of  my  encounter 
with  Le  Moyne,  about  which  and  our  sub 
sequent  difficulty  he  already  knew  something. 
When  I  quietly  told  him  the  rest  of  the 
story  and,  untying  the  ribbon,  laid  the  dusty 
package  on  the  table,  he  became  grave.  He 
very  evidently  did  not  approve  of  our  meth 
od  of  securing  the  papers,  but  whatever  he 
may  have  felt  as  to  the  right  or  wrong  of 
what  we  had  done  was  lost  in  astonishment 
as  he  saw  before  him  the  terribly  plain  reve 
lation  of  all  we  had  been  so  long  dreading. 
Here  was  the  hatching  of  an  international 
conspiracy.  As  he  sat,  his  kindly  face  grew 
[135] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

stern  while  I  translated  to  him  the  emperor's 
comments. 

"It  is  evident,"  he  said,  "that  a  resume 
of  certain  of  these  papers  should  go  to  Ber 
lin  and  Russia  in  cipher,  but  this  may  wait. 
The  originals  must  as  soon  as  possible  reach 
our  minister  in  London." 

While  Mr.  Dayton  considered  the  several 
questions  involved,  the  first  secretary,  who 
had  been  sent  for,  arrived.  The  minister  at 
once  set  before  him  the  startling  character  of 
the  papers  on  the  table,  and  my  story  was 
briefly  retold.  Upon  this  there  was  a  long 
consultation  concerning  the  imminence  of 
the  crisis  they  suggested,  and  in  regard  to 
the  necessity  of  the  originals  being  placed 
as  soon  as  possible  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Adams,  our  able  representative  at  the  court 
of  St.  James.  No  one  for  a  moment  seemed 
to  consider  the  documents  as  other  than  a 
lawful  prize.  We  could  not  burn  them.  To 
admit  of  our  having  them  was  to  convict 
[136] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

Madame  Bellegarde;  and  not  to  use  them 
was  almost  treason  to  our  country.  So 
much  I  gathered  from  the  rapid  interchange 
of  opinions.  When  the  method  of  sending 
them  to  Mr.  Adams  came  before  us,  the  first 
secretary  said  shrewdly  enough: 

"If  they  were  sure  these  papers  were  in 
the  villa, — and  they  were,  I  fancy, — I  won 
der  they  did  not  accidentally  burn  the 
house." 

"That  would  have  been  simple  and  com 
plete,"  said  the  chief,  smiling,  "but  there 
are  original  letters  here  which  it  was  very 
desirable  to  keep,  and  I  presume  them  to 
have  felt  sure  soon  or  late  of  recovering 
them." 

"Yes,"  said  the  first  secretary,  "that  is  no 
doubt  true.  Now  the  whole  affair  is 
changed.  I  am  certain  that  the  house  will 
have  been  searched  and  the  scattered  ashes 
seen.  They  will  then  feel  sure  that  we  have 
the  papers." 

[187] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

I  had  to  confess  that,  in  my  haste,  I  had 
taken  no  pains  about  restoring  the  ashes. 
My  footprints  in  the  garden  soil  and  my 
want  of  care  would  help  to  make  plain  that 
the  papers  had  been  removed,  and  any 
clever  detective  would  then  infer  what  had 
been  the  purpose  of  the  pistol-shots.  I  had 
been  stupid  and  had  to  agree  with  the  secre 
tary  that  they  would  now  know  they  had 
been  tricked  and  see  that  the  game  so  far 
had  been  lost.  The  legation  and  all  of  us 
would  be  still  more  closely  watched,  and  I, 
for  one,  was  also  sure  that  the  messenger  to 
England  would  never  see  London  with  the 
papers  still  in  his  possession. 

Meanwhile,  as  the  secretary  and  our  chief 
discussed  the  question,  my  mind  was  on  Mer- 
ton.  About  ten,  to  my  relief,  he  sent  in  his 
card.  He  entered  smiling. 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Dayton.  All  right, 
Greville?" 

I  said:  "Yes,  the  papers  are  here, 
[138] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

These  gentlemen  all  know.  Had  you  any 
trouble?" 

"A  little.  When  I  fired  shot  after  shot  in 
the  air  and  our  man  was  screaming  murder, 
they  all  ran  toward  us  like  ducks  to  a 
decoy.  I  ran,  too,  and  Alphonse.  As  I 
crossed  a  road,  I  came  upon  a  big  gen 
darme.  I  am  afraid  I  hurt  him.  Oh,  not 
much.  After  that  I  had  no  difficulty.  And 
now  perhaps  I  am  in  the  way."  He  rose  as 
he  spoke. 

The  minister  said:  "No.  Sit  down,  cap 
tain." 

He  resumed  his  seat,  and  sat  a  quiet  list 
ener  to  our  statement  of  difficulties.  At  last 
he  said:  "Will  you  pardon  me  if  I  make  a 
suggestion?" 

"By  all  means,"  said  the  chief.  "It  is  al 
most  as  much  your  concern  as  ours." 

"I  suppose,"  said  Merton,  "the  despatches 
to  Berlin  and  St.  Petersburg  may  go  in 
cipher  by  trusty  messengers  or  any  chance 
[139] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

tourist,  and  that  there  is  no  need  for  haste." 

"Yes,  that  is  true." 

There  was  a  moment's  pause  in  this  in 
teresting  consultation,  the  captain  evidently 
waiting  to  be  again  invited  to  state  his  opin 
ion.  At  last  our  chief  said :  "You  have  never 
seen  these  papers?" 

"No,  sir." 

"Then  I  had  better  make  clear  to  you,  in 
strict  confidence,  that  they  reveal  to  us  ur 
gent  pressure  on  the  part  of  the  emperor  to 
induce  England  to  intervene  with  France 
in  our  sad  war.  The  English  cabinet,  most 
fortunately,  is  not  unanimously  hostile,  and 
Lord  John  Russell  is  hesitating.  Our 
friends  are  the  queen  and  the  great  middle 
class  of  dissenters,  and,  strange  to  say,  the 
Lancashire  operatives.  The  aristocracy, 
the  church,  finance,  and  literature  are  all 
our  enemies,  and  at  home,  you  know,  things 
are  not  altogether  as  one  could  wish.  Just 
[140] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

now  no  general,  no,  not  the  President,  is  of 
such  moment  to  us  as  our  minister  in  Lon 
don.  He  has  looked  to  us  for  information. 
We  could  only  send  back  mere  echoes  of  his 
own  fears.  And  now" — he  struck  the  pile 
of  papers  with  his  hand — "here  is  the  whole 
story.  Mr.  Adams  must  have  these  without 
delay.  I  should  like  to  see  his  interview 
with  Lord  John.  You  seemed  to  me  to  have 
in  mind  something  further  to  say.  I  inter 
rupted  only  to  let  you  feel  the  momentous 
character  of  this  revelation." 

"As  I  understand  it,"  replied  Merton, 
"you  assume  that  the  Foreign  Office  here  will 
be  sure  these  papers  are  in  your  hands." 

"We  may  take  that  for  granted.  They 
are  not  stupid,  and  the  matter  as  it  stands 
is  for  them,  to  say  the  least,  awkward." 

"Yes,  sir,  and  they  will  know  what  a  man 
of  sense  should  do  with  these  papers  and  do 
at  once.    I  may  assume,  then,  that  the  whole 
[141] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

resources  of  the  imperial  police  will  be  used, 
and  without  scruple,  to  prevent  them  from 
leaving  Paris  or  reaching  London." 

"Yes,  said  the  chief,  "of  that  we  may  be 
certain." 

"And  if  now,"  said  Merton,  "some  one  of 
note,  or  two  persons,  go  with  them  to  Lon 
don,  there  is  a  fair  probability  of  the  man 
or  the  papers  being — we  may  say — mislaid, 
on  the  way." 

"It  is  possible,"  said  the  minister,  "quite 
possible." 

"I  think,  sir,"  said  I,  "that  is  probable, 
oh,  quite  certain,  and  we  cannot  accept  the 
least  risk  of  their  being  lost.  No  copies  will 
answer." 

"No.  As  you  all  are  aware — as  we  all 
know,  Captain  Merton,  affairs  are  at  a  crisis. 
The  evidence  must  be  complete,  past  doubt 
or  dispute,  such  as  to  enable  Mr.  Adams  to 
speak  decisively — and  he  will." 

"May  I,  sir,"  said  Merton,  "venture  to 
[142] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

further  suggest  that  some  one,  say  the 
first  secretary,  take  a  dummy  envelop 
marked  'Important  and  confidential,'  ad 
dressed  to  Mr.  Adams,  and  be  not  too  care 
ful  of  it  while  he  crosses  the  Channel?" 

"Well,"  said  the  minister,  smiling,  "what 
next?" 

"He  will  be  robbed  on  the  way,  or  some 
thing  will  happen.  It  will  never  get  there." 

"No.     They  will  stop  at  nothing,"  said  I. 

"I  ought  to  tell  you,"  said  the  minister, 
"that  now  Madame  Bellegarde  is  sure  to  be 
arrested"  (as  in  fact  did  occur).  "She  will 
be  subject  to  one  of  those  cruel  cross-exam 
inations  which  are  so  certain  to  break  down 
a  witness.  If  this  should  happen  before  we 
can  act,  they  will  be  so  secure  of  what  we 
shall  do  that—" 

Merton    interrupted    him.      "Excuse    me. 

She  will  never  speak.     They  will  get  nothing 

from  her.     That  is  an  exceptional  woman." 

The  minister  cast  a  half-smiling  glance  at 

[143] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

him.  He  was  deeply  distressed,  as  I  saw, 
and  added:  "You  will,  I  trust,  sir,  stand  by 
her.  They  can  prove  nothing,  and  she  will 
hold  her  tongue  and  resolutely." 

"I  will  do  all  in  my  power;  rest  assured  of 
that.  But  what  next?  The  papers!  Mr. 
Adams !"  He  was  anxious. 

"Might  I  again  venture?" 

"Pray  do." 

"I  have  or  can  have  an  errand  in  Belgium. 
Give  me  the  papers.  They  will  reach  their 
destination  if  I  am  alive,  and,  so  far,  I  at 
least  must  be  entirely  unsuspected.  My  ob 
vious  reason  for  going  will  leak  out  and  be 
such  as  to  safeguard  my  real  reason." 

"May  I  ask  why  you  go  to  Belgium?" 

"Yes,  I  want  it  known.  I  have  arranged 
to  satisfy  a  gentleman  named  Porthos,  who 
thinks  himself  injured." 

"Porthos !"  exclaimed  the  minister.  "Why, 
that  is  a  character  in  one  of  Dumas's  novels." 

"Yes,  I  beg  pardon;  we  call  him  Porthos. 
[144] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

Mr.  Greville  will  explain  later.  He  is  the 
Baron  la  Garde.  An  absurd  affair." 

"I  deeply  regret  it,"  said  the  minister. 
"I  hoped  it  was  settled.  But  you  may  be 
hurt,  and,  pardon  me,  killed." 

"In  that  case  my  second,  Lieutenant  West 
of  our  navy,  will  have  the  papers  and  carry 
them  to  London.  Count  le  Moyne  is  one  of 
the  baron's  seconds.  He  will  hardly  dream 
that  he  is  an  escort  of  the  papers  he  lost. 
But,  sir,  one  word  more.  Madame  Belle- 
garde  is  an  American.  You  will  not  desert 
her?" 

"Not  I.  Rest  easy  as  to  that.  We  owe 
her  too  much." 

"Then  I  am  at  your  service." 

"I  regret,  deeply  regret  this  duel,"  said 
our  chief,  "but  it  does  seem  to  me,  if  it  must 
take  place,  a  sure  means  of  effecting  our  pur 
pose."  As  he  spoke,  the  secretary  gathered 
up  the  various  papers. 

"I  think,  sir,"  said  Merton,  "it  will  be 
[145] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

well  if  one,  or,  better,  two  responsible  peo 
ple  remain  here  overnight."  This  seemed 
to  us  a  proper  precaution. 

As  we  had  talked  I  saw  Merton  playing 
with  the  dusty  blue  ribbon  which,  when  he 
entered,  lay  beside  the  papers.  As  we  rose 
I  missed  it,  and  knew  that  he  had  put  it  in 
his  pocket.  After  we  had  arranged  for  our 
passports  I  left  with  Merton.  As  we  walked 
away  he  said: 

"I  propose  that  you  say  at  once  to  the 
baron's  friends  that  we  will  leave  for  Bel 
gium  to-morrow.  It  is  not  unusual,  and  I 
have  a  right  to  choose.  You  must  insist. 
Porthos  is  wild  for  a  fight,  and — confound 
it,  don't  look  so  anxious.  This  affair  has 
hurried  things  a  little ;  I  wanted  more  prac 
tice.  I  should  be  a  fool  to  say  I  am  a  match 
for  Porthos,  but  he  is  very  big.  If  I  can 
tire  him,  or  get  a  scratch  such  as  stops  these 
affairs — somehow  it  will  come  to  an  end, 
and,  at  all  events,  how  better  could  I  risk 
[146] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

my  life  for  my  country?  It  must  be  lightly 
talked  about  in  the  clubs  to-night."  West 
and  I  took  care  that  it  was. 

The  next  day  early  we  were  at  the  lega 
tion.  The  first  secretary  was  preparing  the 
dummy.  "Pity,"  said  Merton,  "to  leave 
the  enclosure  a  blank."  The  secretary 
laughed  and  wrote  on  the  inside  cover: 

Trust  you  will  find  this  interesting, 
Yours, 

Uncle  Sam. 

We  went  out,  Merton  and  I  looking  at  our 
passports  and  talking  loudly.  At  ten  that 
morning  the  first  secretary  and  an  attache 
started  for  London.  To  anticipate,  he  was 
jostled  by  two  men  on  the  Dover  pier  that 
afternoon,  and  until  a  few  minutes  later  did 
not  detect  his  loss  of  the  papers.  It  was 
cleverly  done.  Of  course  he  made  a  com 
plaint  and  the  police  proved  useless. 

[147] 


XV 


r  1 1  HE  duel  had  been  duly  discussed  at  the 
JL  clubs,  and  it  is  probable  that  no  one  sus 
pected  Merton  of  any  other  purpose. 
The  baron  was  eager  and  Belgium  a  common 
resort  for  duels.  On  the  same  day  after  the 
secretary's  departure  for  London,  Merton 
took  the  train  for  Brussels  with  Lieutenant 
West,  the  baron  and  his  friends,  Count  le 
Moyne  and  the  colonel.  The  captain  had 
the  papers  fastened  under  his  shirt,  and,  as 
I  learned  later,  was  well  armed.  Not  the 
least  suspicion  was  entertained  in  regard  to 
our  double  errand,  and,  as  I  had  talked  free 
ly  of  being  one  of  the  seconds,  I  was  able  to 
follow  them,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  unwatched, 
except  by  Alphonse,  who  promptly  reported 
[148] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

me  to  his  other  employers  as  having  gone  to 
Belgium  as  one  of  Merton's  friends. 

In  the  evening  we  met  Le  Moyne  and  the 
little  colonel  at  the  small  town  of  Meule, 
just  over  the  border,  and  settled  the  usual 
preliminaries.  The  next  day  at  7  A.M.  we 
met  on  an  open  grassy  space  within  a  wood. 
The  lieutenant  had  the  precious  papers.  We 
stepped  aside.  The  word  was  given  and  the 
blades  met.  Merton  surprised  me.  It  is 
needless  to  enter  into  details.  He  was 
clearly  no  match  for  Porthos,  but  his  won 
derful  agility  and  watchful  blue  eyes  served 
him  well.  Then,  of  a  sudden,  there  was  a 
quicker  contest.  The  baron's  sword  entered 
Merton's  right  arm  above  the  elbow.  The 
seconds  ran  in  to  stop  the  fight,  but  as  the 
baron  was  trying  to  recover  his  blade,  in 
stead  of  recoiling,  Merton  threw  himself 
forward,  keeping  the  baron's  weapon  caught 
in  his  arm,  and  thrust  madly,  driving  his 
own  sword  downward  through  the  baron's 
[149] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

right  lung.     Then  both  men  staggered  back 
and  Porthos  fell. 

I  hurried  Merton  away  to  an  inn,  where 
the  wound  his  own  act  had  made  serious  was 
dressed.  Although  in  much  pain,  he  insisted 
on  our  leaving  him  at  once.  Lieutenant 
West  and  I  crossed  the  Channel  that  night. 
At  noon  next  day  Mr.  Adams  had  the  papers 
and  this  queer  tale  which,  as  I  said,  is  un 
accountably  left  out  of  his  biography.  I 
have  often  wondered  where,  to-day,  are 
those  papers. 

The  count  remained  with  Porthos  at  a 
farm-house  near  by.  He  made  a  slow  recov 
ery,  the  colonel  complaining  bitterly  that 
M.  Merton's  methods  lacked  the  refinement 
of  the  French  duel. 

The  papers  contained,  among  other  docu 
ments,  a  rough  draft  of  a  letter  dated  Octo 
ber  15,  1862,  from  M.  Drouyn  de  Lhuys 
proposing  intervention  to  the  courts  of  Eng 
land  and  Russia.  It  appeared  in  the  French 
[150] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

journals  about  November  14,  when  the  crisis 
had  passed.  Mr.  Adams  acted  on  the  manly 
instructions  of  Mr.  Seward,  and  Mr.  Glad 
stone  lived  to  change  his  opinions  on  this 
matter,  as  in  time  he  changed  almost  all  his 
opinions.  Madame  Bellegarde,  unknown  to 
history,  had  saved  the  situation.  The  Eng 
lish  minister  declined  the  French  proposals. 
Soon  after  I  returned,  Madame  Belle- 
garde  reappeared,  and,  as  soon  as  he  was  well 
enough,  Merton  went  to  see  her.  She  had 
been  released,  as  we  supposed  she  would  be, 
with  a  promise  to  say  nothing  of  her  examina 
tion,  and  she  kept  her  word.  I  thought  it  as 
well  not  to  call  upon  her,  but  when  Merton 
told  me  of  his  visit  I  was  malicious  enough 
to  ask  whether  he  had  returned  to  her  the 
ribbon.  To  this  he  replied  that  I  had  a  tal 
ent  for  observation  and  that  I  had  better  ask 
her.  She  had  been  ordered  to  leave  France 
for  six  months.  I  am  under  the  impression 
that  he  wrote  to  her  and  she  to  him.  The 
[151] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

thrust  in  his  arm,  which  would  otherwise 
have  been  of  small  moment,  his  own 
decisive  act  had  converted  into  a  rather 
bad  open  wound,  and,  as  it  healed  very 
slowly,  under  advice  he  resigned  from  the 
army  and  for  a  time  remained  in  Paris,  where 
we  were  much  together.  In  December  he 
left  for  Italy.  I  was  not  surprised  to  re 
ceive  in  the  spring  an  invitation  to  the  mar 
riage  of  the  two  actors  in  this  notable  affair. 
I  ought  to  add  that  Le  Moyne  lost  his  place 
in  the  Foreign  Office,  but,  being  of  an  in 
fluential  family,  was  later  employed  in  the 
diplomatic  service. 

Circumstances,  as  Alphonse  remarked, 
made  it  desirable  for  him  to  disappear.  Mer- 
ton  was  additionally  generous  and  my  valet 
married  and  became  the  prosperous  mas 
ter  of  a  well-known  restaurant  in  New  York. 


[152] 


XVI 

ETE  in  1868  Merton  rejoined  the  army, 
and  I  did  not  see  him  again  until  in 
1869,  when  I  was  American  minister  at  The 
Hague.  In  June  of  that  year  Colonel  and 
Mrs.  Merton  became  my  guests.  When  I 
told  Mrs.  Merton  that  Count  le  Moyne  was 
the  French  ambassador  in  Holland,  she  said 
to  her  husband: 

"I  told  you  we  should  meet,  and  really  I 
should  like  to  tell  him  how  sorry  I  was  for 
him." 

"I  fancy,"  said  I,  "that  the  count  wiU 
hardly  think  a  return  to  that  little  corner  of 
history  desirable." 

"Even,"  said  Merton,  laughing,  "with  the 
belated  consolation  of  the  penitence  of  suc 
cessful  crime." 

[153] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"But  I  am  not,  I  never  was  penitent.  I 
was  only  sorry." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "you  will  never  have  the 
chance  to  confess  your  regret." 

I  was  wrong.  A  week  later  the  countess 
left  cards  for  my  guests,  and  an  invitation 
to  dine  followed.  If  Merton  hesitated,  Mrs. 
Merton  did  not,  and  expecting  to  find  a 
large  official  dinner,  we  agreed  among  us 
that  the  count  had  been  really  generous  and 
that  we  must  all  accept.  In  fact,  if  Mrs. 
Merton  might  be  embarrassed  by  meeting 
in  his  own  house  the  man  she  had  so  seriously 
injured,  Merton  and  I  were  at  ease,  seeing 
that  we  were  entirely  unknown  to  the  count 
as  having  been  receivers  of  the  property 
which  so  mysteriously  disappeared. 

We  were  met  by  the  count  and  Madame  le 
Moyne  with  the  utmost  cordiality.  To  my 
surprise,  there  were  no  other  guests.  All  of 
those  thus  brought  together  may  have  felt 
just  enough  the  awkwardness  of  the  occasion 
to  make  them  quick  to  aid  one  another  in  dis- 
[154] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

persing  the  slight  feeling  of  aloofness  nat 
ural  to  a  situation  unmatched  in  my  social 
experience. 

The  two  women  were  delightful,  the  menu 
admirable,  the  wines  past  praise.  It  was  an 
artful  and  agreeable  lever  du  rideau,  and  I 
knew  it  for  that  when,  at  a  word  from  the 
count,  the  servants  left  us  at  the  close  of  the 
meal.  Then,  smiling,  he  turned  to  Mrs. 
Merton  and  said: 

"Perhaps,  madame,  you  may  have  under 
stood  that  in  asking  you  all  here  and  alone 
I  had  more  than  the  ordinary  pleasant  rea 
sons.  If  in  the  least  degree  you  object  to 
my  saying  more,  we  will  consider  that  I 
have  said  nothing,  and,"  he  added  gaily, 
"we  shall  then  chat  of  Rachel  and  the  June 
exhibition  of  tulips." 

It  was  neatly  done,  and  Mrs.  Merton  at 
once  replied:  "I  wish  to  say  for  myself  that 
I  have  for  years  desired  to  talk  freely  with 
you  of  what  is  no  doubt  in  your  mind  just 
now." 

[155] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Thank  you,"  he  returned;  "and  if  no 
one  else  objects," — and  no  one  did, — "I  may 
say  that,  apart  from  my  own  eager  desire  to 
ask  you  certain  questions,  my  wife  has  had, 
for  years,  what  I  may  call  chronic  curiosity." 

"Oh,  at  times  acute!"  cried  the  countess. 

"Her  curiosity  is,  as  you  must  know,  in  re 
gard  to  certain  matters  connected  with  that 
mysterious  diplomatic  affair  in  the  autumn 
of  1862.  It  cost  me  pretty  dear." 

"And  me,"  said  the  countess,  "many 
tears." 

Mrs.  Merton's  face  became  serious.  She 
was  about  to  speak,  when  the  count  added: 
"Pardon  me.  I  am  most  sincere  in  my  own 
wish  not  to  embarrass  you,  our  guests,  and 
if,  on  reflection,  you  feel  that  our  very  natu 
ral  curiosity  ought  to  die  a  natural  death, 
we  will  dismiss  the  matter.  Tell  me,  would 
you  prefer  to  drop  it?" 

"Oh,  no.    I,  too,  am  curious."    And,  turn 
ing  to  her  husband,  "Arthur,  I  am  sure  you 
will  be  as  well  pleased  as  I." 
[156] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

Merton  said:  "I  am  entirely  at  your  ser 
vice,  count.  How  is  it,  Greville?" 

"But,"  said  the  count,  interposing,  "what 
has  M.  Greville  to  do  with  it,  except  as  we 
know  that  his  legation  profited  by  madame's 
— may  I  say — interference?" 

"I  like  that,"  laughed  Mrs.  Merton,  "in 
terference.  There  is  nothing  so  amiable  as 
the  charity  of  time." 

"Ah,"  said  I,  laughing,  "I,  too,  had  a 
trifling  share  in  the  business.  Let  us  all 
agree  to  be  frank  and  to  consider  as  confi 
dential  for  some  years  to  come  what  we  hear. 
I  am  as  curious  as  the  countess." 

"And  no  wonder,"  said  the  count.  "Of 
course  enough  got  out  to  make  every  chan- 
cellerie  in  Europe  wonder  how  Mr.  Adams 
was  able  to  report  the  opinions  and  even  the 
words  of  the  emperor  and  his  foreign  secre 
tary  to  Lord  John." 

"Well,"    said   Mrs.    Merton,    "I    am    still 
faintly  penitent,  but  this  is  a  delightful  in 
quisition.     Pray  go  on.     I  shall  be  frank." 
[157] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

To  begin  with,  I  may  presume  that  you 
took  those  papers." 

"Stole  them,"  said  Mrs.  Merton. 

"Oh,  madame!  Why  did  you  not  take 
them  at  once  to  Mr.  Dayton?" 

"I  was  too  scared.  I  was  alarmed  when  I 
saw  the  emperor's  handwriting.  Was  LJ 
cross  ?" 

"Oh,  I  had  later  a  bad  quarter  of  an  hour." 

"I  am  sorry.  And  now  you  are  quite  free 
to  tell  me  next— that  I— well,  fibbed  to  you. 
I  did.  But  lying  is  not  forbidden  in  the  dec 
alogue." 

"What  about  false  witness?"  cried  the 
countess,  amused. 

"That  hardly  covers  the  ground,  but," 
said  Mrs.  Merton,  "I  do  not  defend  my 
self." 

The  count  laughed.  "You  did  it  admir 
ably,  and  for  a  half-day  I  was  in  doubt.  In 
fact,  to  confess,  I  was  in  such  distress  that  I 
did  not  know  what  to  do.  The  resume  I  was 
to  make  for  the  emperor  ought  to  have  been 
[158] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

made   at  the  Foreign   Office.        I   was   rash 
enough  to  take  the  papers  home." 

"But  why  did  you  not  arrest  me  at  once?" 

"Will  madame  look  in  the  glass  for  an 
answer?  You  were — well,  a  lady,  your 
people  loyal,  and  I  was  frantic  for  a  day. 
I  hesitated  until  I  saw  you  driving  toward 
the  Bois  de  Boulogne  in  a  storm.  What  fol 
lowed  you  know." 

"Yes." 

"You  concealed  the  papers,  and  the  po 
lice  for  a  while  thought  you  had  burned 
them.  You  were  clever." 

"Not  very,"  said  Mrs.  Merton.  "I  tried 
to  burn  all  the  big  double  envelops,  but  the 
men  hurried  me." 

"I  see,"  returned  the  count.  "Your  ruse, 
if  it  was  that,  deceived  them,  delayed  things, 
and  then  the  papers  somehow  were  removed. 
And  here  my  curiosity  reaches  a  climax.  It 
puzzled  me  for  years,  and,  as  I  know,  has 
puzzled  the  police." 

"But  why?"  asked  I. 

[159] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"The  pistol-shots  were,  of  course,  be 
lieved  to  have  been  a  means  of  decoying 
away  the  guard.  The  old  caretaker  was 
found  in  her  room  and  the  room  locked.  She 
was  greatly  alarmed  at  the  cries  and  the 
shots,  and  for  a  while  would  not  open  the 
door." 

Mrs.  Merton  laughed.  "Ah,  my  good  old 
nurse." 

"But  the  man  in  charge  of  the  house 
never  left  it,  or  so  he  said,  and  the  doors, 
all  of  them,  were  locked." 

"Indeed!"  I  exclaimed.  "That  dear  old 
nurse." 

"The  police  found  no  trace  of  what  might 
have  been  present  if  a  man  had  entered — I 
mean  muddy  footmarks  in  the  house." 

"No,"  I  said;  "that  was  pure  accident. 
I  took  off  my  shoes  when  I  went  in,  but  with 
no  thought  of  anything  except  the  noise 
they  might  make." 

"And,"  remarked  Le  Moyne,  "of  course 
[160] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

any  footprints  there  were  outside  had  been 
partly  worn  away  by  the  rain.  None  of  any 
use  were  found,  and  besides  for  days  the  po 
lice  had  tramped  over  every  foot  of  the  gar 
den." 

"Not  to  leave  you  puzzled,"  said  Merton, 
and  really  it  must  have  been  rather  bewild 
ering,  I  beg  that  Greville  tell  you  the  whole 
story." 

"With  pleasure,"  I  said.  "Colonel  Mer 
ton  and  I  were  the  burglars" ;  and  thereupon 
I  related  our  adventure. 

"No  one  suspected  you,"  said  the  count; 
"but  what  astonishes  me  the  most  is  the  con 
cealment  under  a  blazing  fire  of  things  as 
easily  burned  as  papers.  I  see  now,  but  even 
after  the  ashes  were  thrown  about  by  you, 
the  police  refused  to  believe  they  could  have 
been  used  to  safeguard  papers.  I  should 
like  to  tell  your  story  to  our  old  chief  of  po 
lice.  He  is  now  retired." 

"I  see  no  objection,"  said  I. 
[161] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Better  not,"  said  Merton.  "My  wife's 
share  should  not,  even  now,  be  told." 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  countess,  "quite 
right.  But  how  did  it  occur  to  you,  Madame 
Merton,  to  use  the  ashes  as  you  did?" 

"Let  me  answer,"  said  the  colonel. 
"Any  American  would  know  how  completely 
ashes  are  non-conductors  of  heat.  I  knew 
of  their  use  on  one  occasion  in  our  Civil  War 
to  hide  and  preserve  the  safe-conduct  of  a 


"And,"  said  I,  "their  protective  power  ex 
plains  some  of  the  so-called  miracles  when, 
as  in  Japan,  men  walk  over  what  seems  to  be 
a  bed  of  glowing  red-hot  coals." 

"How  stupid  the  losing  side  appears," 
said  the  count,  "when  one  hears  all  of  both 
sides  !" 

"But,"  asked  the  countess,  "how  did  you 
get  the  papers  to  London?  It  seems  a  sim 
ple  thing,  but  my  husband  will  tell  you  that 
never  have  there  been  such  extreme  measures 
taken  as  in  this  case.  The  emperor  was  furi- 
[162] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

•  • 

ous,  and  yet  to  the  end  every  one  was  in  the 
dark." 

"You  must  have  played  your  game  well," 
said  Le  Moyne. 

"Luck  is  a  very  good  player,"  I  said, 
"and  we  had  our  share." 

"Ah,  there  was  more  then  luck  when  no 
amount  of  cross-questioning  could  get  a 
word  out  of  Madame  Merton." 

"My  husband  insists  that  I  have  never 
been  able  to  make  up  for  that  long  silence." 

We  laughed  as  the  count  said:  "One  can 
jest  over  it  now,  but  at  the  time  the  only 
amusement  I  got  out  of  the  whole  affair  was 
when  your  dummy  envelop  came  back  from 
London  with  a  savage  criticism  of  the  police 
by  our  not  overpleased  embassy  in  England. 
I  did  want  to  laugh,  but  M.  de  Lhuys  did 
not." 

"And  the  original  papers?"  insisted  the 
countess.  "Paris  was  almost  in  a  state  of 
siege." 

"Yes,"  said  her  husband,  "tell  us." 
[168] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

"Well,"  said  I,  laughing,  "you  escorted 
them  to  Belgium  when  we  had  that  affair 
with  Porthos." 

"//"  exclaimed  the  count. 

"Yes;  Colonel  Merton  insisted  on  fight 
ing  in  Belgium  merely  to  enable  us  to  get  the 
papers  out  of  France." 

„    "Indeed!     One  man  did  suspect  you,  but 
it  was  too  late." 

"But  Porthos?"  cried  the  countess.  "De 
lightful!  Is  that  the  baron?" 

"Yes,"  laughed  the  count.  "My  cousin 
is  to  this  day  known  as  Porthos.  But  who 
took  the  papers?  Not  you!" 

"No,  D'Artagnan — I  mean,  Merton  took 
them  as  far  as  Belgium,  and  then  Lieuten 
ant  West  and  I  carried  them  to  London. 
D'Artagnan's  share  was  a  bad  rapier- 
wound." 

'•D'Artagnan?"  cried  the  countess.  "That 
makes  it  complete." 

[164] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

Merton  merely  smiled,  and  the  blue  eyes 
narrowed  a  little  as  the  countess  said: 

"And  so  you  are  D'Artagnan.  How  de 
lightful!  The  man  of  three  duels.  And 
pray,  who  was  my  husband?" 

"That  high-minded  gentleman,  Athos," 
said  Merton,  lifting  his  glass  and  bowing  to 
the  count. 

"Gracious!"  cried  the  countess.  "What 
delightfully  ingenious  people!  I  shall  al 
ways  call  him  Athos." 

"It  was  well,  colonel,"  said  the  count, 
"that  no  one  suspected  you.  The  absence 
of  secrecy  in  the  duel  put  the  police  at  fault. 
Had  you  been  supposed  to  be  carrying  those 
papers,  you  would  never  have  reached  the 
field." 

"Perhaps.  One  never  can  tell,"  said 
D'Artagnan,  simply. 

"Ah,  well,"  said  our  host,  rising,  "I  have 
long  since  forgiven  you,  Madame  Merton, 
[165] 


A  Diplomatic  Adventure 

and  no  one  is  now  more  glad  than  I  that  you 
helped  to  prevent  the  recognition  of  the  Con 
federacy." 

"You  must  permit  me  to  thank  you  all," 
said  the  countess;  "my  curiosity  may  now 
sleep  in  peace.  You  were  vastly  clever  folk 
to  have  defeated  our  sharp  police." 

"Come,"  said  the  count,  "you  Americans 
will  want  a  cigar.  On  peut  etre  fin,  mals 
pas  plus  fin  que  tout  le  monde.9 


[166] 


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